Once a Day
by mercy-angel-09
Summary: Word of the Day drabbles and one-shots. Mostly general friendship, but some romance and drama and humor. I like humor. Nearly all of them are Heero and Relena, but the others flit in and out as I see fit.
1. Numinous

**Word of the Day  
>PairingsCharacters:** Heero, Relena; slight 1xR if you squint and tilt your head  
><strong>Words:<strong> 179  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So I've seen these "Word of the Day" fics, where it's essentially a collection of drabbles and one-shots with the prompt being the word of the day (a prime example of, "exactly what it says on the tin"). Anyway, I've always wanted to try my hand at it, and this is the result. My words, instead of coming from Dictionary dot com like most of them, come from Wordsmith dot org. Really, I have a wide variety to choose from, as I do use the Vocabology app on my phone (because it's awesome), but I really like the ones from Wordsmith.

Anyway, I won't be doing daily updates (I'm good, I'm not *that* good), but expect two or three uploaded at a time. Enjoy!

**Numinous - supernatural, mysterious, or awe-inspiring**

* * *

><p>"I don't see what the big fuss is about," Heero said as Relena stretched herself in the backseat of their rented SUV. "It's simply the collision of energetic charged particles in the atmosphere, presenting in the shifting colors visible to the human eye."<p>

Relena let out a snort of disappointment. "I know that, but it doesn't change that it's still magnificent to behold." She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at her friend and bodyguard. "Are you really so cold that even the sight of the aurora borealis doesn't do anything to you?"

Shifting in the driver's seat so he could look out the windshield and up at the dancing red and green lights, Heero merely shrugged.

"You're impossible," Relena muttered as she laid herself back down and gazed up through the moon roof.

The car was silent except for their breathing, until Heero finally spoke. "You know, if you think that they're pretty from here, you should see them from space."

"Is that a promise?"

Her only response was silence and a smile in the darkness.


	2. Noosphere

**Word of the Day  
>PairingsCharacters: **Heero, Relena  
><strong>Words: <strong>242  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> There were a couple of ways I could have gone with this, but I rather like how this turned out.

**Nooshpere - the sum of human knowledge, thought, and culture**

* * *

><p>Relena decided that the internet was a dangerous place. There was a lot stored on the world wide web, from pictures and music to great literature, and, of course, the bane of her existence. The large type of the latest tabloid headline proclaiming that she was in a secret lesbian relationship with her chief of staff seemed to mock her from the computer screen.<p>

"Why do you bother? It just stresses you out," her bodyguard noted from where he sat in the corner of her office. It wasn't uncommon for them to share office space when she was traveling.

"Because, despite the fact that a good chunk of the internet is made of up rabid voles, I hold fast to the hope that perhaps there is something worthwhile there," Relena declared.

"Your hope may be misplaced," Heero replied flatly. "The internet, while an interesting collection of almost all human knowledge, contains as much crap as it does relevant and worthwhile information."

A quick query later, Heero's point was sadly proven correct. "Oh for the love of!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Now they're just being ridiculous."

"What is it this time?" came the calm question.

"They're insisting that I'm now dating the minister of finance behind his wife's back! The man is old enough to be my grandfather, why would I date him?"

Heero shook his head. "A pit of rabid voles, Relena, a pit of rabid voles."


	3. Nutate

**Word of the Day  
>PairingsCharacters: **Heero, Relena; slight 1xR if you look hard enough, 2xH  
><strong>Words: <strong>292  
><strong>Author's Note:<strong> In which Heero messes with Relena after she tries messing with him. Hilarity ensues.

**Nutate - to nod the head; to oscillate while rotating (as in an astronomical body); to move in a curving or circular fashion (as a plant stem, leaf, etc.)**

* * *

><p>"I've decided that I'm getting the carpets shampooed next weekend, so we'll have to find somewhere else to stay."<p>

Heero nodded.

"I've also scheduled a donation of old clothes and housewares to be picked up at four-thirty on Tuesday."

Heero nodded.

"Oh! I almost forgot, but I have a late meeting on Wednesday night, so you'll want to either call for something to be dropped off at the office or remember to pack a dinner as well."

Heero nodded.

A pause. "You know, I've been unhappy with my hairstyle as of late, I'm thinking of changing it. Does that sound like a good idea?"

Heero nodded.

"Yes, I see. I'm thinking bright pink. Neon, really. Maybe florescent? It could glow under black lights. I heard about a rave downtown on Friday night, the hair color would be a good change so I might blend in better."

Heero nodded.

"I'm also thinking about piercing my nose. And maybe something else. Maybe a nipple?"

Heero nodded.

"Also, I'm pregnant."

Heero nodded.

"The baby…it's Duo's. What can I say? A girl gets lonely and when she's asked to join a ménage a tois, you don't say no to a thing like that! And Hilde? She's an amazing lover. Maybe I'll stay with them while the carpets are being shampooed."

Rolling her eyes at the ceiling, Relena finally decided that perhaps what Heero needed was a slap upside the head rather than her proclaiming some ridiculous fact. Turning to her bodyguard she was surprised to see him sitting, shoulders shaking in silent laughter and a large smirk on his face.

"Would it kill you to answer a question once in a while?" she said in exasperation.

Schooling his features in a mask of seriousness, Heero nodded.


	4. Newspeak

**Once a Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena**  
>Words: <strong>298**  
>Author's Note:<strong> I admit that I totally had flashes of _1984_ while writing this. Not that I dislike Orwell - I find his work thought provoking - but whenever you start flashing back to assigned reading for school, it's never pleasant.

**Newspeak - deliberately ambiguous or euphemistic language used for propaganda**

* * *

><p>Heero clicked off the television with a growl. Throwing the remote to the floor, he stalked over to the window and glared out, his body rigid.<p>

"Forget it, Heero," Relena said softly. "We've seen it before and we'll see it again. There will always be those who aren't happy with the way things are and will seek to do something about it."

"I don't care that they're saying things about me and the other Gundam pilots. We're used to it at this point." He paused as he ran his hands through his messy hair. "But bringing you into this…"

"It's an occupational hazard and one I accepted a long time ago," Relena replied gently. "The name calling in order to discredit me and my policies is nothing new."

"That doesn't change the fact that this is dangerous. I'm done fighting, Relena, I'm done," he whispered hoarsely.

"We'll get through this, Heero, we always do," she said as she wrapped her arms around his middle, resting her head between his shoulder blades. "We survived the Perfect Peace People, we survived the Barton Foundation, and we'll survive this."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"Because I believe in you, and I believe in Duo and in Trowa and in Quatre and in Wufei. I believe in Sally and Lady Une and all of Preventer. I believe in the people of the Earth Sphere to recognize this absurd movement for what it is," she answered in such a sure and matter of fact tone that Heero allowed himself to relax a little.

"Your faith may be misplaced," he warned her, ever aware that he and the others were merely human.

"Perhaps," she agreed, but then she smiled. "But I have a feeling that my faith is where it belongs."


	5. Pnuematic

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena**  
>Words: <strong>244**  
>Author's Note: <strong>When I originally plotted this out, it was similar to this, but convoluted and made no sense. And then I had a brilliant idea followed by, "I need to go to bed." So I went to bed, sure that I could recall my brilliant idea the next morning when I would write it down. Except that I didn't. So I ended up writing this. It's still fun and hints at another one of my fandoms (an imaginary chocolate toffee chip cookie to whomever figures it out).

The brilliant idea, however, involved paintball. I may write a short drabble about that later.

**Pneumatic - of or relating to air, wind, or gasses; spiritual; buxom, zaftig**

* * *

><p>It was odd how much she missed fresh air when she was on the colonies. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her trips to space, but there was something stale about the recycled air in outer space.<p>

The colonies had come a long way in their nearly two hundred year history, with grass and trees and flowers, but the air was still recycled. There was a complex system of filters and pipes and valves so that the air could be cleansed and reused without requiring the constant replacing of oxygen tanks. Heero and Duo had once tried to explain it to her as a way to pass the time on a trip between earth and the L3 cluster of colonies, but most of it had gone over her head.

The air on the colonies was stale to her, suffocating. But the minute she stepped off of the shuttle and set foot on the tarmac, she would take a deep breath and revel in the smell of the wind and especially dust or the rain, and quite possibly both of them together.

"Petrichor," she said simply as they walked across the tarmac towards the terminal.

Heero glanced at her. "The scent of dust after rain?"

Inhaling again, Relena smiled. "That's what I smell right now. You can't smell this on the colonies, stirred up by the breeze." She twirled as she stepped, arms out as if to embrace the wind itself. "Ah, to be home."


	6. Duopsony

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena**  
>Words: <strong>336**  
>Author's Note: <strong>Now, I've never bought something off of eBay before, so let the wild mass guessing abound!**  
><strong>

**Duopsony - a market condition in which there are only two buyers, thus exerting great influence on the price**

* * *

><p>Heero was startled when a loud scream echoed throughout the Vice-foreign Minister's mansion. Stomach dropping, he immediately suspected the worst and took off at a dead run towards the source. Kicking in the door to Relena's room, his gun was drawn and ready to shoot on sight anyone who might be threatening her safety.<p>

"Good God, Heero, what's wrong with you?" she asked, standing at her desk. Her face was an interesting mix of amused and annoyed.

"I heard a scream," he answered matter-of-factly as he began sweep the room for any danger.

"Oh," she answered sheepishly. "Sorry about that. It's nothing."

Lowering his weapon, Heero turned towards her. "Define nothing."

"Well, I was on one of those online auction sites and I found a listing for this doll I had a child. I have no idea what happened to my doll, so I thought I'd place a few bids to try to get a new one," she explained. "The thing is I think I ended up in a bidding war with a collector because at the very last second they zoomed in and won. I, uh, was just expressing my irritation."

"You screamed at the top of your lungs in the middle of the night," he said coolly as he holstered his gun. "You can't do that. It makes your security team think you're being attacked."

"And tell me, how exactly am I supposed to vent my frustration?" she asked him, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"I find kickboxing very cathartic," he answered, ignoring the frustration that was rolling off of her in waves.

"I'll keep that in mind," she answered tightly. She turned to her door which was smashed in and there was no way it would be closing that night. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to gather up a few things and I'll be sleeping in the blue room tonight."

Now it was Heero's turn to look sheepish. "I'll get that taken care of first thing in the morning."

"You'd better."


	7. Hypochondriac

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena, Wufei, Sally**  
>Words: <strong>348**  
>Author's Note: <strong>I think that this one should not have been as much fun to write as it was. I have to admit, "hypochondriac" is not a word I would apply to anyone on the Gundam W-verse, but then I remembered that when you're around people who are feeling under the weather, you start thinking that maybe you've got it, too.

Even if it is just allergies.**  
><strong>

**Hypochondriac - noun: One who is excessively and chronically preoccupied with imaginary or innocuous symptoms as indicators of some serious disease.**

* * *

><p>"I think I'm getting sick."<p>

Three sets of eyes were suddenly trained on the Vice-foreign Minister.

"Are you sure it's not allergies?" Sally asked, her brow furrowing. Relena looked fine.

"I know that there were a lot of delegates at that conference who were sniffling and coughing, but I figured it was just allergies with all of the flowers blooming," Wufei noted.

"You're over reacting," Heero added.

"I am not! I think I'm coming down with a fever!" Relena insisted.

Sally placed one hand on Relena's forehead and the other on her own. She held them there for a minute before shaking her head. "You're imagining things."

"No, I'm certain of it," Relena frowned.

"Relena, I may not be practicing anymore, but I still have a medical doctorate. I think I would know if you were actually sick. You're just psyching yourself out because everyone's allergies are in full swing," Sally explained. "Most of what you're feeling is psychosomatic. Relax and you'll feel better."

She rarely pouted, but Relena felt that this was an appropriate time to do so. "Fine, but if I drop dead from a serious illness in a few days, it'll be your fault for not taking me seriously."

Wufei rolled his eyes to the sky and said a quick prayer in Chinese which caused Sally stifle her laughter. Heero had no idea what the former Altron pilot had said, but he could guess that it wasn't very nice. "Relena, I think it's time you took a vacation," he said as he shifted in his seat. "You're working too hard, and usually the first sign of that is you start imagining that you have very serious diseases."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Pot calling kettle," came the retort. "Call your secretary, have her clear your schedule for the next two weeks."

Relena glared at him, but he remained impassive. Finally she slumped and started pouting again. "Fine, I'll call Jeanne when we get back to the hotel."

Heero smirked. For someone who was known for being immovable in her political positions, Relean sure was easy to manipulate.


	8. Dysthymia

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; implied 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>329**  
>Author's Note: <strong>So this one is kind of angsty. Also, no dialogue. And that's about it.**  
><strong>

**Dysthymia - a mild depression**

* * *

><p>It should have been overcast and raining. It was much easier to feel sorry for herself when the weather reflected her mood. However the weather was not cooperating and was insisting on being annoyingly perfect. Not a single cloud in the vast expanse of blue sky promised sunshine and lots of it.<p>

On the surface she often appeared to be doing just fine. She could smile and nod with the best of them, easing fears and worries with a gentle smile and a smoothly murmured line. Under the surface though, that was a completely different story. There was an analogy about a duck or a swan – she forgot which – and how on the surface they are serenely gliding along, all while paddling like hell underneath.

She was the duck or swan, gliding gracefully along the surface, but working like hell under the surface to make sure that the surface remained smooth as glass. With a groan, she pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window and looked out at the back yard.

Heero had really done a number on her this time. One would think that she'd be used to the way he popped in and out of her life, but every time he left it always left her feeling raw and exposed. He made her feel things that she had forgotten while he was away. He made her feel alive and complete, like there was more to her than just the politics. She felt blessedly normal when he was around, but the moment he left it was like she ceased to exist.

The cycle of depression had been part of her life for the last five years and she had a feeling that it wouldn't be going away any time soon. Oh, her spirits would lift eventually, they always did, but the cloud that seemed to hang perpetually over her head would never go away. Not unless there was a very dramatic change in her life.


	9. Autologous

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena, Sally; 1xR if the shipping goggles are on tight enough**  
>Word Count: <strong>225**  
>Author's Note: <strong>This one I hate. Okay, not hate. Strongly dislike. I really feel like this word limited what I could do, and even though I'm not particularly happy with the result, I seriously doubt I could do better. Ah well, I think that's the point of this particular endeavor.**  
><strong>

**Autologous - involving a situation in which the donor and the recipient (of blood, skin, bone, etc.) are the same person**

* * *

><p>"You're lucky," Sally chastised as she placed the blood bag on hook. "Your blood type isn't rare, but since we happened to have a bag that you donated, we don't have to worry about your body rejecting it."<p>

Heero grunted, but didn't say anything. Though Sally had left the medical field in favor of being a Preventer agent, she was the go to for field medicine. Like now, for example.

A tour of a provincial area had suddenly turned dangerous when a small group of self-proclaimed freedom fighters had attacked. Heero, ever diligent, had taken the bullet in the shoulder, but in the process had lost a lot of blood in the ensuing chaos. An emergency transfusion had been required to keep him from going into shock, and just his luck one of the bags brought had been his own blood.

When Sally left the medical tent, Relena moved her stool closer to the cot where Heero was laying. "I would normally make a comment here about how dumb that move was, but seeing as you were just doing your job and I wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for you..." She stared down at her hands in her lap. "Thank you, Heero."

He grunted again. "Just doing what I'm paid for."

Relena reached out and gently put her hand on his and squeezed.


	10. Gerontology

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; not so subtle 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>1,377**  
>Author's Note: <strong>Good news everybody! You're not reading this in Professor Farnsworth's voice! (Okay, okay, enough joking around.) Actually, this is the longest of all of the stories so far. I have no idea how it ended up being so long, but only that if I tried to tell the same story in less words, it probably wouldn't work. I would also say that a fair amount of this was inspired by conversations with my husband, who simply cannot fathom the amount of products required to make oneself pretty. Seriously. I have two drawers and most of under the sink for my stuff while he gets what little space is left over. I am actually willing to admit that quite a few of Heero's thoughts in this particular one-shot are things that my husband has told me repeatedly over the last four years of our marriage - at least when it comes to how much crap a woman can have in the bathroom.

I rather enjoyed how this one turned out, as I felt I could use it to explore the nuances of the relationship between Heero and Relena. Enjoy!**  
><strong>

**Gerontology - the scientific study of aging**

* * *

><p>Sharing a bathroom with Relena had perks, Heero decided one lazy afternoon while she was curled up in her library with a good novel and he was putting away their recent drug store purchases. They had settled into an odd domestic state, and while they didn't share a bedroom, their rooms were conjoined by a mutual bathroom.<p>

At first he had been reluctant to do so – two members of the opposite sex sharing a bathroom who were not married had caused a bit of a commotion. But there was a comfortable brother/sister vibe between the vice-foreign minister and her top bodyguard, so most of the security team thought nothing of it. Oh, if only they knew. After the initial weirdness had worn off, they reached a level of comfortable that was far more intimate than anyone could ever guess. Shared showers were a common occurrence.

Back at the task at hand, Heero was putting away the various toiletries they had purchased that morning. If anyone ever wanted to know what the difference between a man and a woman, especially a woman in the public eye, was, all they had to do was look in a bathroom cupboard.

He kept it simple. Replacement heads for his electric toothbrush, a spare tube of toothpaste, replacement razors, shaving cream, bars of soap, and a stick of deodorant.

Relena's side had jars and bottles of various creams to deal with whatever skin condition might happen, bottles of cleansers, wipes and pads, sponges and make-up brushes, an entire bag filled with cosmetics for every occasion, several bottles and vials of perfume and scented oils, and the dreaded feminine hygiene products. She had once told him that her bathroom was once sparsely populated by toiletries, but spending most of her time in front of the press had more or less demanded that she look her best at all times and the purchase of products to achieve that.

There were new jars and bottles of creams and serums to add to this already massive stockpile, nearly all of them labeled anti-aging and wrinkle prevention.

"What the hell?" he muttered angrily as he grabbed the closest jar and booked it down to the library.

Relena was curled up in one of the large wingback chairs with a blanket over her lap, thoroughly engrossed in the antics Regency era England. She was so far into the book that she jumped when Heero slammed the door open. She was so startled she looked around in panic until she saw him standing in the door with a stern look on his face. "Sheesh, you don't have to slam the door, Heero."

"What the hell is this?" he demanded as he walked to her, thrusting the jar in her face.

"Moisturizer for my face," Relena answered blankly.

"Anti-wrinkle moisturizer for your face," he corrected. "You're only twenty-four, Relena."

Her eyebrows shot up as she smiled in amusement as his concern. "It's mostly preventative."

"You look fine," he spat back.

"I'm flattered that you of all people have noticed," she said as she folded down the page corner of her book and then snapped it shut. "However, the minute I start showing wrinkles the press is going to be all over me like starving dog on a steak. My job is high stress and it's starting to show."

"You're just being overly sensitive," he muttered.

"Overly sensitive? 'Overly sensitive' he says as if there's not an issue here," she nearly screeched as she stood up. Getting face to face with him, she poked him in the chest. "I have frown lines that no girl my age should have! These creams and serums are the best in the market to treat the signs of aging and there's a mountain of research to back it up!"

He rolled his eyes. "Wrinkles give you character."

"Well I'm glad you think so, but the rest of the world is no so kind, Mister Yuy," she snarled. She stomped past him, most likely to go sulk in her bedroom.

With a sigh, Heero ran a hand through his messy hair. Didn't she know that even with a few frown lines she was still the most beautiful person he had ever met? Realizing that he would have to apologize, he started back up to the bedrooms while formulating a proper response to her frustrations.

He found her bedroom door locked from the hallway, so he took the other approach. The door to the conjoining bathroom was closed, but it locked from within the bathroom so there was no way she could truly lock him out. He twisted the handle and then pulled, gracefully stepping out the way when a chair fell back towards his feet.

"Damn it!" she growled as she glowered at Heero's form standing completely still in the doorway.

"The doors open in, Relena," he said as he picked up the chair and placed it back against the wall. He took a deep breath and stared his friend down. "I understand that you're worried about your appearance but it shouldn't matter. You're beautiful inside and out and if the tabloids feel otherwise, I might feel obligated to remind them that they're ugly inside and out."

She snorted.

"I understand why women feel this compulsive need to always look like they just stepped out of a magazine, but in my opinion it's not worth it. You're going to spend a small fortune on products that may or may not work, because a handful of doctors say so," he said with far more passion that he was used to using when addressing her.

She blinked at him, unsure of where his sudden rant had come from. It was so unlike him to butt into her personal matters, at least her personal matters that didn't deal directly with her safety. "You cannot be serious," she murmured in disbelief.

He sighed. "I keep my distance for a reason, Relena. Personal feeling can cloud judgment and impair my abilities, so I keep them separated from work, but that hardly means that I don't care. And as to all of these ridiculous creams and lotions, I feel that you're being paranoid."

She gave a dry chuckle. "Of course you do. Men get wrinkles and they're dignified. Women get wrinkles and suddenly we're old maids who worked too much to have the even more fulfilling career of having a family."

"That's beside the point, Relena," he said gently as he approached her. "If your career is driving you to use products that are common with women the same age as your mother, then maybe you should consider a change."

"I am not changing my lotion."

"I meant that maybe you should take a sabbatical, or even consider retirement from the political arena."

She looked at him like he had sprouted another head or perhaps had professed his undying love for her. "You cannot be serious."

He nodded. "I am. You've been running yourself ragged since you were sixteen. I doubt anyone would fault you for taking a break."

"But…"

"No buts, Relena. I think some time off would do you good. Take the money that you're spending on anti-aging products and put it towards a long vacation."

She looked thoughtful as she carefully considered Heero's suggestion. Following the end of the Eve War she had stepped into the role vacated by her foster father, hoping to carry on his legacy. It was fulfilling, but it left her with little personal time. Perhaps he had a point and that a long, much deserved vacation was in order. She took a deep breath and slowly released it before answering. "You might have a point."

"Might?" One eyebrow cocked up.

"I think a year-long sabbatical might be in order, and after that I'll see if I'm up to jumping back into the political arena," she conceded. "Does that satisfy you?"

He nodded.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make." She headed down to her office to start making the appropriate calls to hand in her temporary resignation, leaving Heero alone in her bedroom with a small smile on his face.

Perhaps he could finally convince her to clean out all of the crap from underneath the bathroom sinks.


	11. Sagacity

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Quatre, Relena, faceless diplomats; Quatre shipping 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>994**  
>Author's Note: <strong>So far, the second longest one-shot. Also, Quatre shipping Heero and Relena and all in all being a good friend. Everybody say, "D'aaaaaw!"**  
><strong>

**Sagacity - Keen judgment or wisdom**

* * *

><p>Relena stifled a yawn as she fought to stay awake. The current meeting was about the continued use of mobile suits in space for the mining of resource satellites and the constant fear that someone could take them and arm them to be used as weapons. It helped that Quatre was there to argue that Leos made lousy combat units, but that didn't keep others from being worried.<p>

This was rightfully so in Relena's opinion. There were still unaccounted for OZ engineers, which meant that there was a very real possibility that the ability to build Taurus and Virgo model mobile suits was still around. However mobile suit manufacturing was rigorously moderated, hopefully deterring anyone who might get the bright idea to start manufacturing weapons.

"Vice-foreign Minister, what do you think?" someone asked and Relena had to think on her toes for an answer.

"Well, given the size of the natural resource satellites and the colonies themselves, I think it would be impractical to stop the manufacture of mobile suits for civil projects," she reasoned. "There are several sanctions in place to deter mobile suit manufacturers from weaponizing their products, and if anyone starts to put a toe out of line they'll have to answer to Preventer."

"That's certainly true, but that doesn't mean that someone won't try," an earth diplomat replied, clearly unsatisfied with her answer.

"The use of mobile suits for civil projects has been long documented," Quatre piped up. "The Leo models, which are the only models still manufactured, are considered base models. They have no particular offensive or defensive capabilities, though in the hands of a skilled pilot could be considered lethal."

"Where there you have it!" a second Earth diplomat exclaimed.

"You're getting ahead of yourself," Quatre butted in. "I think that only a handful of pilots could ever pilot a Leo to lethal capacity, and they've all retired."

"What about the Gundam pilots?" a colony diplomat asked.

"They've all retired," Relena answered calmly. "I assure you, none of them want to climb back into the cockpit of a mobile suit, even if it were to do maintenance work."

"You seem awfully sure of that, Vice-foreign Minister," a second colony diplomat noted coolly. "I wasn't aware that you were on such friendly terms with them."

"I got to know a few of them during the war and the events following it," she answered with a frown. "I fail to see what that has to do with anything, though."

"Aren't you protecting them? Mr. Winner is correct, in the hands of a capable pilot even a Leo suit can be lethal," the first Earth diplomat said archly.

"Yes, we've made that point," Relena conceded, "but if they were intent on remaining pilots, why would they have destroyed their Gundams?" She looked around the room and gave a nod of satisfaction when nobody could answer. "No one, not even Preventer, could have made them destroy their Gundams. They did that of their own will as a show of faith that the peace they fought so hard for would remain. I do not doubt, though, that they wouldn't hesitate to commandeer a Leo should the need arise. Let us hope that it never comes to that."

The room fell eerily silent until someone coughed uncomfortably. "Well then," the first Earth diplomat said after clearing his throat. "We shall review the sanctions and update where necessary. Do we have a motion to approve this?"

"I motion to approve," the first colony delegate answered.

"And seconding the motion?"

"I second the motion," Quatre said.

"The motion moves to a vote. All in favor say 'aye'."

"Aye," the room chimed in unison.

"Let the record show that the motion to review and update the sanctions was passed unanimously. This meeting is adjourned," the first Earth diplomat said.

With that the room broke into idle chatter as Relena leaned back in her chair and sighed. Slowly the other diplomats filed out, leaving her alone with Quatre and their respective body guards.

"Well that was eventful," Quatre noted.

"Was it? I don't think we really accomplished anything," she replied as she began to slowly gather her files and put them away in her briefcase.

"You accomplished a lot more than you realized based solely on the fact that people naturally turn to you when faced with these decisions."

"I hardly understand why. I was a girl when I became the Vice-foreign Minister. I have no formal training, nor do I have any sort of formal education to back up my position. I simply stepped into a role that was left vacant with my foster father was murdered. For some reason people think that this means that I am qualified for the job."

"I think it has less to do with your parentage or your lack of an education and more to do with you stepping up to a role that no one else wanted and being very, very good at it," Quatre explained with a disconcerted frown. "You are naturally observant. You read people, well, most people pretty well."

"I maintain that no one can read Heero."

"I'll agree with you there. Anyway, you inspired hope in people who had given up and were ready to accept that the war was going to drag on. You gave disillusioned soldiers a reason to stand their ground and keep fighting because it meant that your vision could be realized. You have an old soul, Relena. People trust you because of that, and they trust whatever judgment call you make." Quatre paused and made sure he was looking Relena in the eye as he finished. "Some people, despite good intentions, make horrible judgment calls. You, however, have never faltered and the people have responded to it. Don't doubt yourself or your abilities."

Relena chuckled softly. "Thank you, Quatre. That meant a lot."

He smiled. "I don't think it's me that you should be thanking, Relena. Heero said it all first."


	12. Stochastic

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Duo, Relena; none**  
>Words: <strong>542**  
>Author's Note: <strong>Like anything involving chance could take place anywhere but Vegas. Psssh. (Okay, Monaco was a close second, followed by Atlantic City and Reno, but I digress.) Anyway, confession time! I've never been to Vegas! (My husband seeks to change that, though.)**  
><strong>

**Stochastic - involving chance; random; probabilistic**

* * *

><p>"I fail to see the appeal of Las Vegas."<p>

Standing on the sidewalk of the strip, Relena had her arms crossed against her chest and one hip cocked in a defiant gesture. As a general rule her idea of a vacation was a trip to the middle of nowhere. Her idea of a perfect trip included the likes of hiking in national parks or nature preserves, private or secluded beaches or just sitting in the solarium of her house with a good book and a cup of tea. The throngs of people on the street, the shouting and the sound of traffic and the bright lights were not her idea of relaxing.

"Aw, you're just being sensitive," Duo replied. "Las Vegas is loads of fun! We'll take in a few shows, hit up the Bellagio's art museum…"

"I could have done that in Paris, where I could rent a house for the duration of the trip and not stay in some tacky themed hotel," she retorted.

"Would it kill you to think a little outside of the box for a change?" Duo grumbled. It wasn't like they had a choice for their current location, a conference was being held at the Venetian that Relena was required to attend for her job. The former Deathscythe pilot had volunteered to go with her when Relena's usual bodyguard had fallen ill in a shrewd move to go spend some quality time in the casinos during their down time.

"I know we didn't have a lot of choice in the location of this conference, but I don't see why we have to even leave the hotel," she whined. "I would be perfectly happy to spend all of my free time sitting in my hotel room reading a book."

"By doing so you miss what is quintessentially Vegas," he said. "There's world class dining and entertainment to be had, but to actually enjoy it you have to, you know, _leave the hotel room_."

Relena actually pouted in response. "I realize that as a politician that large crowds shouldn't bother me, but I'm really not happy with this whole thing. I'm spending the entirety of the conference locked in a room with arguing old men who try to out shout each other so I would rather enjoy some peace and quiet in my free time!"

Faced with an extremely displeased Vice-foreign Minister, Duo relented. "Fine, fine. We'll go back to the hotel and maybe later this evening you'd like to go see the Bellagio's art museum. That should be nice and quiet."

Smiling in triumph, Relena linked her arm through his and started the slow stroll back to the Venetian. "That sounds lovely." She grinned at him. "Tell you what, once I'm in bed you can go down and gamble for a bit, since I know that's the only reason why you volunteered to come with me in the first place."

Duo gaped at her as he opened and closed his mouth in an attempt to vocalize a denial of her accusation. Finally he dropped his head. "I can't believe you knew that."

"Everyone knew it, Duo, but they figured it was easier to just let you come rather than argue with you about it."

He groaned. "Politicians."


	13. Immanent

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; wishful 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>442**  
>Author's Note:<strong> I had fun with this one, as it presented a unique challenge. There were a couple of ways I could have gone with it, so narrowing it down to the one way that I felt was best was part of the challenge.**  
><strong>

**Immanent - inherent; spread throughout; Subjective: taking place within the mind and having no effect outside of it.**

* * *

><p>Relena had a love-hate relationship with the long flight between Earth and the colonies. On the one hand it allowed her to catch up on any work that she was behind on. However, on the other hand, it meant that she was bored with nothing to do when she was caught up. Like now, for example.<p>

She sighed as she fidgeted in her seat, the restlessness of boredom setting in. She closed her eyes and decided that a nap would be a good idea, as she always felt that more sleep would be a good idea.

"No mountain of work to get through?" Heero asked as he sat down next to her.

She shook her head, not bothering to open her eyes.

"That must be nice. It seems like you're always working," he continued. He seemed unusually talkative. That wasn't to say that Heero couldn't be talkative, but as a general rule he was stickler for the conservation of conversation. "This is a fairly short trip, isn't it? Just checking in with a couple of the smaller, upstart colonies and bringing them into the fold." At her nod he let out a small hum. "You know, if you have some free time, I could take you out and show you around. I've spent some time in this particular colony cluster and I know a few good restaurants and whatnot."

She smiled, but said nothing. At this point words from her would be meaningless.

"I know it's not much, but I do like spending time with you. I consider you one of my closest friends." He paused and took a deep breath before letting out a nervous chuckle. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I feel more than just friendship for you." He swallowed as he waited for her to say something, but she remained silent, absorbing the confession.

"Relena?" he said before repeating her name several times in rapid succession.

Her eyes fluttered open and she turned to see him standing in the aisle, looking down at her in confusion. "Hm?"

"I said that we'll be arriving soon," he said as he sat down. "Where's the usual mountain of paperwork?"

"At home, completed." She chuckled wryly. "Where it belongs, I might add."

"So now you're just catching up on your sleep," he noted with an approving nod.

"It seemed like a good time," she shrugged.

"Well, maybe you'll have some free time during this trip to relax a little," he said as he stood up so he could go back to his seat a few rows down.

She smiled and nodded before settling back in her seat. Of course she had been daydreaming.


	14. Venial

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Duo, Heero, Quatre; none**  
>Words: <strong>620**  
>Author's Note: <strong>I would be lying if I said that this wasn't my favorite (so far). This one was just too much fun to write - mostly because I like writing Duo in painfully awkward situations. This is pretty much pure friendship/humor fluff. Enjoy.**  
><strong>

**Venial - minor; easily excused**

* * *

><p>Duo was panicked, and not in the usual, "Oh my God, the world is ending," kind of way. Well, that was half-true. From his point of view all was lost, but to the casual observer he was overreacting.<p>

"Heero is gonna kill me," he muttered as he dashed about the kitchen in a frenzied state. Quatre frowned from his seat at the table, wondering exactly what was wrong with his friend.

"If you tell me what's wrong, I could help you," the Winner heir said, but his friend paid him no heed. Instead Duo flitted around, muttering softly to himself with the words "kill," "maim," and "dismember" turning up with alarming frequency.

"You're awfully energetic this morning," a voice noted dryly from the doorway.

Duo spun, his braid whipping dramatically around his body, and paled when he saw the owner of the voice standing rigidly before him. Plastering a smile on his face, he shook his head. "I, uh, misplaced my cell phone. Nothing major."

"You're lying," Heero said as he headed towards the coffee pot. Duo cut him off.

"So, um, one of the security cameras around the back of the house has gone on the fritz and none of the tech team can't figure out why," Duo said quickly. "You're a whiz with those kinds of things, perhaps you could go take a look? Don't wanna leave holes in Relena's security, do we?"

"It can wait until after my morning coffee. No one is going to be dumb enough to try and sneak in during the middle day."

"It has happened before," Quatre reminded them.

"Okay, they're not going to risk it when security personnel outnumber them five to one," Heero amended.

"Well, it's just that…"

"You're acting suspicious, Duo. What's going on?"

Quatre leaned back in his chair, watching with interest. He and Duo had become friends while awaiting orders after OZ had threatened to destroy a colony, but his bond with Heero was equally strong due to their time searching for Trowa. He hated to see any of his friends at odds, but Duo's squirrelly behavior was concerning him and perhaps confronting Heero would put a stop to it.

The former Deathscythe pilot swallowed nervously. "Well, I was prepping coffee this morning, and, uh, because I was running a bit behind I was moving too fast."

"Okay."

"Well, it's just that…there was a casualty." Heero's eyebrows went up, but he said nothing. "The Canadian fast food mug, to be precise. The one you always use."

Heero shrugged. "I'll use another."

"W-wait. You're not mad?" Duo was completely perplexed.

"Why would I be?"

"Because it's the mug you always use. Your favorite."

"I don't have a favorite. It was the one that was always at the front of the cupboard, so it was the one I grabbed," Heero replied. He could have let Duo twist in the wind a bit, but he'd already worked himself up into enough of a to-do that it wasn't really worth it.

Duo slumped against the counter. "You mean I've been worrying about nothing?"

Heero nodded as he reached for a mug and prepared his cup of coffee. "It was a good mug, but I'm not going to kill you if you accidentally knocked it off the counter. Even Relena doesn't mind if gets broken – it's just a goofy souvenir that she picked up on her last trip to Canada."

"You know, you could have just said so," Duo mumbled.

"I would have, if you had been up front with me," Heero replied before taking a sip.

Quatre chuckled. "And what have we learned today?"

"Honesty is the best policy, even if it's like a game of Russian roulette," Duo replied dryly.

* * *

><p>So a little end note here - The Canadian Fast Food mug does exist. It has a picture of a stick figure being chased by a bear through the woods. My in-laws picked it up for my husband when they went to a wedding in Canada (duh). Anyway, I always get a laugh out of that mug, but like Heero, if it gets broken I'm not going to be super upset about it.<p> 


	15. Connubial

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena, Zechs, Noin, unnamed twin babies; undertones of 1xR, 6x9 with all the subtlety of a flying mallet**  
>Words: <strong>958**  
>Author's Note: <strong>In which Zechs pulls the big brother card and lectures Heero about dating, marriage and Relena. Heh. That said, I've always (not so) secretly felt that Zechs wouldn't mind if Heero and Relena dated (and eventually married) because she could always do worse. I've also always felt that Zechs has quite a bit of respect for Heero, even though they spent most of the war on opposite sides.**  
><strong>

**Connubial - Pertaining to marriage or the married state**

* * *

><p>Relena sat with her niece in her lap, trying to keep her hair away from curious hands. "I understand why Milliardo cut his hair," she said as carefully balanced the infant in her lap while pulling her hair into a make-shift bun.<p>

Noin laughed as she shifted her son from one leg to the other. "He was holding them and when they both grabbed and yanked he figured I had the right idea."

Relena laughed as she snuggled the little girl in her lap. It was so nice being able to visit with her brother and her sister-in-law in person, rather than over a video screen through a sketchy satellite uplink.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Milliardo was preparing a couple of bottles for the twins. Heero had followed, opting to avoid the small children for as long as possible. "Married with kids," the former Wing Zero pilot mused. "Who would have thought?"

Milliardo chuckled as he waited for the water to heat on the stove. "Myself, to begin with, but it's peaceful." He shrugged. "We've had our ups and downs, but every morning I'm glad when I wake up beside her."

Heero chuckled. "You sound nothing like the man I knew during the war."

"Speak for yourself," Milliardo snorted.

Half of Heero's mouth quirked up in response. "I haven't fallen into the marriage trap yet."

"I wonder why not. Relena would say yes in a heartbeat if you ever asked," Milliardo mused, delighting in the pained expression on his former rival's face. "You do know that she could do a lot worse than you, right?" Taking Heero's continued silence as a cue to keep talking, Milliardo did just that. "Despite what was going on between us during the war, I don't dislike you nor do I feel that you're not good enough for her. You obviously care a lot about her, or else you wouldn't have commandeered a shuttle to come crashing into Libra with. So why don't you just suck it up and ask her to marry you? Everyone knows how she feels about you and how you feel about her."

Heero swallowed. "Do they."

It wasn't a question but Milliardo was going to answer anyway. "Yeah, we do. So, are you going to man up and ask her to marry you or are you going to continue skulking about?"

"Your water is near boiling."

Pulling the pan from the burner, Milliardo sighed. "That's avoiding the subject."

"A subject that is none of your damn business."

"It involves my baby sister, so yes, yes it is my business."

"It's complicated."

"Like my relationship with Noin isn't? I still call her by her maiden name. We've known each other since we were children, but calling her Lucrezia is weird to me." Milliardo began the careful preparation of the bottles as he continued talking. "She's told me everything, you know. Relena, not Noin. Anyway, I know that your relationship has always been complicated but things have changed. I see no reason why you two can't be happily married with a couple of kids of your own." He leveled Heero with a stare. "And don't tell me it's because she's too good for you because that's bullshit."

Heero looked away, his gut tightening. "It's not that simple…"

"If it were, divorce wouldn't happen, but it does so what does that tell you," Milliardo replied dryly as he began to shake the bottles to blend the powdered formula and water.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Heero clarified with a sweeping gesture. "I understood my missions. I knew my Gundam inside and out. I am a trained assassin – I know nothing about being in a relationship with another human being. I'm civil at best with the others, and I have been known to make Relena cry." He took a deep breath. "I barely remember my parents. I have vague impressions of my mother, but I don't really remember my father. There was a man I stayed with after my parents died, but he was also an assassin and he started my training. I wasn't kidding when I told you that I had been trained from a very young age. I was probably four when it started. The man died when I was eight, when I was then taken in by Doctor J.

"I don't know the first thing about dating or marriage or starting a family. For the first time in my life I don't know what I'm doing and it scares the hell out of me."

Milliardo threw his hands up in the air in either frustration or praise. "Nobody knows what they're doing when it comes to dating and marriage and starting a family. Do you think I know? My family was murdered in front of my eyes when I was six years old. That screws a person up, but Noin understands and she's patient when I get frustrated and we take it one step at a time. That's all you have to do, Heero. Trust in Relena and take it one step at a time."

The two men were starting each other down when Noin called out from the living room. "Are those bottles done yet? The kids are getting hungry."

Milliardo tossed Heero a bottle before heading back to join his wife and his sister. "Just give it some thought and trust Relena like she trusts you. It won't be easy, but I think that given all you two have been through, you can make it work."

Heero chuckled as he heard Milliardo coo as he picked up his daughter and began to feed her. There was no one else Heero trusted like Relena. Perhaps this could work. The corners of his mouth turned up. "Mission: accepted."


	16. Argosy

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; sort-of kind-of implied 1xR if you really look for it**  
>Words: <strong>461**  
>Author's Note: <strong>I would be lying if I said that this was easy. Argosy isn't exactly a term that lends itself easily to the A/C Gundam-verse. I don't mention that Heero and Relena are in a specific location, but I based it off of Key Biscayne in Florida and my own experiences sitting on the beach at Crandon Park. (All of the white sand glory of South Beach without the crowds! Another great beach is in the recreation area of Bill Baggs Florida State Park. They're both a bit of a drive from Miami proper but they're less crowded and to me that makes the drive worth it.)

Anyway, enough about beaches. I decided to play with the term and use its first definition in a very broad sense. I felt like it was important to put some perspective on the actions seen in the series, especially since I have a degree in history and that's just how my brain works. Enjoy!**  
><strong>

**Argosy - A large ship, or a fleet of ships, especially one carrying valuable cargo; A rich source or supply**

* * *

><p>"It's so lovely here," Relena sighed dreamily as she sat back on the sand, listening to the sounds of the ocean. In the distance an incoming cargo ship blasted its horn as a warning to the various yachts and fishing vessels in the area.<p>

"It's hot and sticky."

Relena giggled at Heero's obvious discomfort. Clearly humidity was not an issue on the colonies. "You get used to it."

"No, you get used to it. I'm going to melt before I get used to it."

"Oh don't be so melodramatic."

This earned her an amused look, as "melodramatic" was not a word one would use to describe Heero Yuy.

Fixing her gaze on the ocean once more, she cocked her head in thought. "I wonder what's on those ships."

"Probably produce from Central and South America. Bananas, coconuts, coffee…"

Relena hummed softly to herself. "These are trade routes established centuries ago, right?"

"Yeah, probably in the late eighteenth century," Heero replied. "Why?"

"Because long after we're gone, these routes will continue on as they have since they started. Oh, the technology will change but they will remain. It puts things in perspective, I guess."

"Perspective?"

"We are not here forever. We have limited time in which to accomplish our lots in life. It just makes me realize that in the grand scheme of things, I'm rather insignificant."

"You're not insignificant. Generations from now people will still speak your name with reverence and awe."

She laughed. "I wish I could believe that my legacy is so secure in the annals of history, but I'm not so naïve to believe that given how little I've accomplished that I'll be remembered fondly."

"Then you underestimate your value."

"Perhaps you overestimate it."

They stared each other down, but she broke first. She just sighed and shook her head, returning her gaze to the cargo ship that was making its way into port.

"Anyway, the world continues spinning and will continue long after we're gone. It's so weird to think we won't always be here."

"Physically, no. However we'll stay in the annals of history. You are right in saying that it's possible that we may not always be remembered kindly, but there's little doubt that we will be remembered." He offered her a rare smile.

"Do you want to go out on the water? I think there's a service that will charter us a boat for the afternoon." Relena stood and began to wipe the sand from her pants. She looked down at him expectantly.

"Sure. It could be fun."

She laughed as she helped him up. "I never thought I'd ever hear those words from you."

"I know how to have fun. Sort of. Duo says my sense of fun is twisted."

Relena laughed harder.


	17. Paladin

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; totally unrepentant 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>744**  
>Author's Note: <strong>So this word fits Heero to a T. Well, most of the time anyway. XD At any rate once I started writing I didn't stop. This one is so ridiculously them. This is total fluff, by the way. Enjoy!**  
><strong>

**Paladin - a strong supporter of a cause; a heroic champion**

* * *

><p>He stood quietly in the wings as he always did, still and out of the way. He projected a quiet confidence that made others give him a wide berth around where he stood. Others were wary of him without really even knowing why.<p>

When Relena finished her speech she disappeared into wings, flashing her friend, companion, and bodyguard a tired smile. "I think it went well."

"They're fools if they don't listen," Heero answered as he took up stride beside her.

"Do you support everything I say?" she asked him in amusement.

"Yes."

"You could have spent a little more time thinking over your answer."

"Why? I do support your work. You've known that since the war."

"At least when you weren't trying to kill me."

"I got over that."

"Yes, you did, and now you won't let me use the restroom alone when I'm at public speaking engagements."

"That's an exaggeration and you know it. I'm wary of your surroundings but the bathrooms are safe enough."

"I'm just teasing, Heero."

"Hn."

"I will admit that I always feel just a little bit safer when you're around." She reached out and grasped his hand. "It's silly, I know, but I've felt like that since I was a girl." She paused to chuckle. "There were a few times I was worried, but I think, deep down, I always knew I'd be safe if I was near you. You were so mysterious, the boy from the stars. I used to call you the Little Prince. Or _le petit prince_ if you prefer."

He gave her a sidelong glance and noted that she was staring straight ahead as they worked their way around backstage towards the lobby where refreshments were being served. She hadn't changed much in the last ten years, except that she looked less like a girl and more like a woman. She still had the same clear eyed gaze and strong convictions, though, and for that he was thankful. Squeezing her hand, he smiled at her.

"What you were fighting for, it gave me the strength to stand up and speak up." She smiled up at him, matching his. "Really, we propped each other up during the war. You kept fighting to protect my ideas, and because you protected my ideas, I could express them. You were, at one point, a knight of the Sanq Kingdom."

"Hardly," he snorted.

"You took up arms to defend my home, I think that qualified you for the job."

"Quatre and Noin fought as well."

"Yes, they did, and am I grateful for all of the support they gave me," she conceded. "But you, Heero, you were my knight and my knight alone. I've never had a chance to thank you for all that you've done for me over the years." She stopped and turned to face him. She quickly stood on the balls of her feet and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

His ears turned pink as he stared at her in confusion. It certainly wasn't their first kiss and it was more friendly than romantic, but that didn't change the fact that he suddenly had butterflies in his stomach. He tugged on her hand and pulled her against him, hugging her tightly. She stayed against him for a moment before pulling away, a flimsy excuse about being expected at the reception dying on her lips when he captured them with his own.

A knight and a princess. These were the things children's stories were made of, and for one brief moment, Heero felt like he could have it all.

When the kiss broke, Relena looked up at him with a dreamy expression on her face and a blush on her cheeks. "What was that for?" she murmured.

"Because I think the knight has earned a favor from his princess," he answered before brushing his lips against hers again. "Come on; let's get you to the reception."

She pouted like a child being denied a treat. "I won't be able to think about anything but that kiss and you know it! You've sabotaged me."

"I'm sure you'll be able to focus just fine," he said gently as he pulled her along. "I promise to hover in the shadows and be invisible so as not to scare off any potential contacts. Unless they get hands-y, in which case I might have to rough them up."

Relena chuckled. "As you wish, my faithful knight."


	18. Damascene

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena, Quatre; 1xR if you squint and tilt your head**  
>Words: <strong>254**  
>Author's Note: <strong>First of all, I want to say thank you for all of the reviews I've gotten. I'm glad that others are enjoying these little vignettes.

This one, because there are so many different ways the word "damascene" can be used, gave me multiple directions I could go, but I think that I managed to at least incorporate a couple definitions into this. By the way, if you're interested, plug is "damascene jewelry" into the Google and enjoy the pretties. If you're into that kind of thing, anyway. XD**  
><strong>

**Damascene - _verb:_ to inlay a metal object with gold or silver patterns; to gild  
><em>noun:<em> a native or inhabitant of Damascus  
><em>adjc:<em> relating to Damascus or the Damascenes; Having a wavy pattern as on Damascus steel; Sudden and significant**

* * *

><p>"It's so pretty here," Relena practically squealed with delight.<p>

"I'm glad you're having fun," Quatre said with a smile. "I've been here a few times, but I almost never get to see the sights because I'm working the whole time."

She smiled brightly before taking off for a stall selling jewelry, leaving Quatre and Heero standing in the middle of the plaza. "She looks relaxed," Heero noted as he watched her get into an animated bargaining match.

"You sound surprised."

"She was really stressed out over this particular trip. I'm grateful that you suggested this trip to see the city."

"To be honest I've been dying to go, but Rashid hasn't been feeling well and he's the only one who came with me on this trip." At Heero's surprised expression, the Winner heir chuckled. "The others had work to do. Since he knew that I'd be with you and Relena, he felt that it was fine for me to go out."

"Okay."

"Isn't it marvelous?" Relena asked as she approached them, indicating to the lovely new necklace she wore. "I might have overpaid slightly, but this craftsmanship is well worth it."

"It's lovely," Quatre agreed. Heero merely made a non-indicative snort.

Hooking her arm around Heero's she turned towards a row of food carts. "Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

The former Gundam pilots exchanged a glance before shrugging. Today was a play day, to see the sights and act as if they were normal tourists. Work could wait until tomorrow.


	19. Sybarite

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Duo, Une, Trowa, Wufei; none**  
>Words: <strong>326**  
>Author's Note: <strong>This one stumped me for the longest time. I finally managed to make something out of it, but I find it difficult with words that just seem out of place within the A/C Universe.**  
><strong>

**Sybarite - a person devoted to luxury and pleasure**

* * *

><p>There was something about the Minister of Education that made Heero's skin crawl. Now that he thought about it, the Minister of Education made everyone's skin crawl, except for a very small contingency of supporters who seemed to think that the sun shone out of his ass.<p>

"I really hate that guy," Duo muttered as the Minister passed them in the hallway of the convention center. With as many high ranking officials present as there were, Une had taken no chances and contracted out some of the security to the former Gundam pilots. Quatre was the only one who declined, and that was because he was expected to attend the conference as a delegate.

"We should have an official club," Heero noted dryly, causing his partner to chuckle. In his earwig he heard Wufei and Trowa snicker as well.

"Heero, I know you don't like him, but if someone starts taking shots, you still have to save him," Une reminded him.

"I know, but if I can't get to him in time, well, not a lot I can do about that, is there?"

More laughter flooded the comm lines. Heero smirked in satisfaction while Duo suppressed his laughter so as not to draw attention.

"Wait, wait, everyone, quiet!" Une suddenly shouted, causing everyone with an earwig to wince in pain.

"What, it wasn't that bad," Duo said.

"Not Heero's crack. I've just received a report from a third-party auditor that the Minister of Education has been embezzling funds for his own use," Une said in awe. "We had suspected that he supported his lifestyle through alternate income, but we had no idea that he was stealing from the ESUN's education fund to do so!"

"Permission to not take a bullet for him?" Heero requested solemnly, earning a few chuckles.

"Permission granted to haul his fat ass in for questioning," Une answered through gritted teeth.

For the first time that day, Heero smiled with pleasure. "Mission: accepted."


	20. Gascon

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings:** Relena, various unnamed diplomats; none**  
>Words: <strong>494**  
>Author's Note: <strong>Relena the politician, at your service. And that's pretty much it.**  
><strong>

**Gascon - noun: a braggart; adjective: Boastful**

* * *

><p>Resisting the urge to roll her eyes for the hundredth time that afternoon, Relena opted to close her eyes and take a deep breath. If she had to hear the Minister of Defense going on and on about how everyone was so much safer thanks to his efforts, she was going scream. Or stab him with her pen, she wasn't sure which.<p>

"Minister, we are ever grateful for your contributions to maintaining the peace, but I can't help but feel that perhaps you're taking too much credit," a colony delegate said with a troubled frown. "I know that the Foreign and Vice-Foreign Ministers have worked tirelessly as well, but you don't see them standing up at every conference to tell us all just how wonderful they are."

Several others murmured their agreement as Relena tried to become one with her chair. She was pleased with her accomplishments, of course, but she never felt the urge to publicly announce them. She was more than happy to leave that to the press. She smiled weakly and indicated to the Foreign Minister who sat beside her, who was flushed in embarrassment as well.

"Yes, well, they're all part of the bigger picture I suppose," the Minister of Defense blustered on, "but really, without my efforts they wouldn't be nearly as successful as they were."

"Indeed, without your efforts I think they would be even more successful," snarked an Earth delegate. "It seems to me, Minister, that you create more problems for them to clean up when you decide to take action."

The Minister of Defense merely glared at his critics. "You simply do not understand how great my actions have been."

Oh, this was getting ridiculous. Standing up, Relena slammed her hands on the table. "Gentlemen, please!" she said loudly. "Indeed the Minister of Defense has done some very good work and I am grateful for his help. However he, like anyone, can make mistakes and while his have been slightly more catastrophic than anything seen previously, his intentions are good."

The room fell silent as they stared at her, unsure of how to respond. Relena could get forceful when she spoke, but it was always on the passionate side. This was her full irritation and very few people ever saw this side of her. She cleared her throat before smoothing the wrinkles in her suit and sitting down. "It should be noted that I am inclined to agree with the delegates, Minister. Your boasting will accomplish nothing here. Please bite your tongue and speak only when you have something helpful to contribute."

Considerably cowed, the Minister of Defense nodded mutely before sitting back in his chair. Content that they could finally get the meeting underway, Relena nodded at her host. "If you would please proceed with your presentation?

The man nodded and he and his partner began their speech. Their modesty was refreshing. "_This_," Relena thought with a contented smile, "_is how it's supposed to be_."


	21. Wellerism

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Relena, Heero; 1xR if you put the shipping goggles on**  
>Words: <strong>639**  
>Author's Note: <strong>First of all, Wellerisms are fun. My brother's favorite for the longest time (said to the point where we cut him off because we were stick of it) was, "'I see,' said the blind man as he picked up the hammer and saw." I didn't want to be so obvious, so after consulting a list of well known proverbs I settled on two, though one is an obvious case of being an actual Wellerism while the other is Relena pointing out that Heero is merely the pot calling the kettle black.

Also, Glacier National Park is awesome.**  
><strong>

**Wellerism - noun: An expression involving a familiar proverb or quotation and its facetious sequel. It usually comprises three parts: statement, speaker, situation.**

* * *

><p>Relena rolled her shoulders in an attempt to work out the kink that had settled at the base of her neck. She'd been working nearly eighty hours a week for the last month and it was finally starting to show. There were dark circles under her eyes and her complexion was becoming sallow from too much take-out, not enough sleep and never seeing the light of day.<p>

"There's a saying, Relena, that all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy," Heero noted as he kept working at his laptop. He hadn't even bothered to look up or still his fingers as he dropped that little pearl of wisdom.

Relena cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, and there's another saying that states that advisers run no risks." He looked up at her then, as if to assess what she meant. She rolled her eyes. "What I mean is that it's easier to dispense advice than to actually follow it. You're telling me to take a vacation when you're in need of one just as badly as I am."

"It's fine. It doesn't bother me."

She sighed as she stood up. She quickly crossed the room and shut the lid to his computer, earning an irritated glare. "I'm a lot tougher than I look. Just because I was raised as some spoiled little rich kid doesn't mean that I don't understand or undervalue hard work."

"I think your problem is that overvalue it," he answered irritably. He tried to open the lid to his laptop, but Relena kept her hand splayed across it.

"I think you undervalue time off. I know you think you're invincible or something, but even you need a vacation once in a while."

He glared at her for a moment before his eyes softened slightly. "Touché, princess."

"Please don't call me that. I'm not a princess anymore."

"Suit yourself."

"Anyway, I think we should take a vacation somewhere. It needs to be remote. No access to the internet or phones or anything that might even tempt us to work."

He narrowed his eyes. "No."

Shaking her head in disappointment, she reached around the back of his head and gave him a firm whack. "That's not an acceptable answer. I'll take a vacation, but only if you take one as well."

"That's not fair."

"That's the art of negotiation. It wouldn't kill you to take a little of your own advice, you know."

"You don't know that."

"I do and you're bullshitting me in an attempt to get out of it. Here's a newsflash for you: it won't work."

"Did you really just say bullshitting?"

"I do know how to swear, but I usually don't, as it makes me sound crass and uneducated, but I am not afraid to call a spade a spade when necessary. If calling your bluff by saying that you're bullshitting me does the job, then I'll do just that. Now, what do you think about Fiji or Tahiti?"

"Neither."

"And where do you propose we take our vacation?"

"Some place in the mountains."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "We could do that."

"Now if you'd let me get back on my computer, I'll book the trip."

Removing her hand from the laptop's lid, she kneeled next to him as he opened it and began his search for possible vacation spots. After several minutes of clicking and typing, he finally stopped and turned to Relena. "What do you think, does this look good?"

"Glacier National Park?"

"Only a few Glaciers remain due to climate change, but it's remote. We can hike, horseback ride, and pretty much anything but work. Does that meet all of your requirements?"

"Yes, thank you."

"You know I only did this to get you to stop nagging me, right?"

"You just keep telling yourself that," she replied smugly.


	22. Fagin

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; 1xR-ish**  
>Words: <strong>559**  
>Author's Notes: <strong>Hope everyone had a happy and safe St. Patrick's day. I made corned beef, steamed cabbage, candied carrots, sour cream and chive potatoes and soda bread, listened to my Chieftains channel and then watched _The Quiet Man_. Surprisingly, not a drop of alcohol consumed. Somewhere my Irish ancestors are rolling their eyes.

Anyway.

I liked the idea of exploring Heero's past in the framework of him telling Relena what he knows, as well as the idea that they're both orphans and it's a bonding point for them. Minor allusions to _Frozen Teardrop_ and the _Episode Zero_ manga.**  
><strong>

**Fagin - one who trains others, especially children, in crime**

* * *

><p>It was one of the few things that Relena actually knew about Heero's past. The fact that he didn't remember most of it meant that if shared what he did know, it was a sign of his trust.<p>

He didn't remember his mother or his father. It was one of the few things they had in common. Instead he lived with a wandering assassin, or at least Heero assumed that's what he was. At eight years old, Heero couldn't have been sure of the man's profession at the time, but in retrospect, the weapons and combat training had clearly been a sign.

"We used to travel between the colonies, at least the L1 cluster as travel between the five clusters was restricted, doing odd jobs." He gave a sarcastic snort at that point. "We never stayed in one place for too long. Our primary cover was that of a father and son, travelling around, looking for work."

"Did you two look alike?"

He shrugged. "I remember someone saying that we had the same eyes and noses, but that was probably a fluke."

"A very convenient fluke."

"Still just a fluke. Anyway, he did used to say that he felt bad for dragging me along. Right before his last job he seemed to imply that he was ready to quit. Maybe he thought that we could settle down and be a family or something."

"Do you think that your life would have been different if you had settled down to be a family?"

"I don't know. Maybe. After he died I was taken in by Doctor J to be further trained as an assassin. I didn't have a name. They just called me boy or hey you. Occasionally I would get code names if I had to mingle in public and those were always comically bland. Little Johnny Smith or Jack Brown. However Doctor J liked irony, so I was given the code name of Heero Yuy for Operation Meteor. It stuck."

"What name did the man call you?"

Half of Heero's mouth twitched up. "Odin, Odin Junior. He named me after himself."

"So let me get this straight. You two looked alike and he called you after himself? I think you two really could have made it work as a family."

"Yeah, probably." He smiled wistfully at her. "I think I was envious of you for a while. You had your mother and your father and everything going for you."

"Not really. Remember, my real parents are dead and have been dead since I was two. The people who I thought were my parents were very loving toward me and I'm glad that they took me when it was quite possible that I could have grown up with a family that didn't really care." She gave him a cautious look. "You and I are alike in that respect. We don't remember our real parents, orphans of war."

"We're hardly the only ones," he reminded her gently. "Duo and Trowa are in the same position."

"Misfits, all of us. But you know what, I'm okay with that."

He turned slightly so he could see her better. Some of her hair had fallen in her face so he reached out and gently tucked it behind her ear, his hand lingering a bit longer than it should have. "Me too," he murmured.


	23. Gamp

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Relena, Heero; subtle 1xR under the Umbrella of Togetherness**  
>Words: <strong>336**  
>Author's Note: <strong>This one...it got interesting. Obviously it's the perfect opportunity for the Umbrella of Togetherness trope take up to eleven, but at the same time I really didn't want to over do it. So this is just short and sweet.**  
><strong>

**Gamp - a large umbrella**

* * *

><p>Relena loved rainy days. If the wind wasn't blowing towards her window, she'd open it a bit and let the fresh scent into the room. Her favorite thing to do, though, was to sneak out for a short walk. It didn't matter that she usually didn't have an umbrella with her, she just loved being outside and the sense of renewal that came with the rain.<p>

Today was such a day, and she was casually strolling through a nearby park while those around her dashed for cover.

It was a cool, spring rain, pouring fairly hard but not so hard that she was soaked the minute she stepped outside. With the rain driving everyone else indoors, she had the park to herself to enjoy. She paused and noticed the sun peeking out behind a cloud. Turning quickly to put the sun behind her, she saw a pale rainbow arcing across the sky.

She smiled and hummed happily to herself as she decided to walk towards the rainbow, the rain forgotten. Strolling along the mostly deserted park, she followed the rainbow, ignoring the fact that her suit was soaked and her shoes made a squishing sound as she walked.

A voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Don't you ever take an umbrella with you?"

Turning to find Heero standing behind her under the largest umbrella she'd ever seen, Relena shrugged. "No, I don't mind the rain."

"Right, I'm sure you feel the same way when you come down with the flu," he noted sarcastically. He took a few steps forward so Relena was standing the umbrella with him. "Better."

"I suppose you're going to make me go back to work?" she sighed.

"You're soaked, and if you didn't bring a change of clothes with you then there's no point in taking you back to your office. Come on, I'll take you home."

With a contented smile, Relena looped her arm through Heero's and walked along with him to his car, protected from the rain under his umbrella.


	24. Scrooge

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, store clerk; 1xR in flashing, neon letters**  
>Words: <strong>259**  
>Author's Notes: <strong>This is quite possibly started as an unintentional follow up to "Connubial." For what it's worth, most of these are stand alone one-shots and are not meant to be one long story. Rather they are little glimpses of life more or less set in the same continuity, so occasionally there will be stories that are directly related to each other. The reason why I've grouped them together into one "story" is that they follow a theme of "Word of the Day" prompts and that way I'm not always uploading new stories.

In terms of this particular one shot, I've always taken Heero as the type of person who doesn't spend money unless he needs to. I wouldn't say he's a flat out miser, but he's careful with his finances. In that regard I think the term "Scrooge" applies to him, because he's not always buying stuff but rather saving what he earns.**  
><strong>

**Scrooge - a miser**

* * *

><p>Heero wasn't the type to spend money. He didn't really see the point, when all he needed were the basics. Duo had called him a tight wad on more than one occasion – but he was mistaken. Heero didn't spend money on his day to day needs. It was more efficient to eat easy to prepare meals using cheap ingredients. He didn't need the leather couch or the designer clothing. A fancy entertainment system would simply be a waste.<p>

There were exceptions. Heero liked having the most up to date computer. He always kept his car in pristine condition. No expense was spared when he bought gifts for Relena.

Needless to say, Duo would be shocked at how much money Heero was about to drop, but sometimes it had to be done.

"This one, sir?" the clerk asked.

"That's the one," Heero confirmed.

"She's a lucky girl, whoever she is. This is the one that always catches the woman's eye when couples come in to look," the clerk noted as he carefully placed the ring in a box. He then wrapped it carefully before handing it to Heero. "Best of luck."

Heero allowed himself a smirk. "I don't need luck. According to most people who know us, this has been a long time coming."

"Well then, I amend my previous statement. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Heero replied with a nod. Feeling confident with the ring in hand, he headed out the door. He carried a small fortune in his hand, but she was worth it. She had always been worth it.


	25. Gradgrind

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Zechs; so very much 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>246**  
>Author's Note: <strong>So, uh, it's been two weeks since my last update. Since these are stand-alones obviously I don't have to keep to a rigorous update schedule, but I'd like to keep something resembling one. Anyway, in the last two weeks I've sewn a dress (there's a picture of it on Twitter), watched all of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, broken a chandelier, and purchased supplies to strip a dresser. It's been busy. Heh.

Anyway, this is a follow up to "Connubial" and "Scrooge." Even though he approves, Zechs still want to make sure that Heero's not going to hurt his baby sister.**  
><strong>

**Gradgrind - someone who is solely interested in cold, hard facts**

* * *

><p>"You'll tell me the truth and nothing but the truth. I want all of the facts and none of the bullshit."<p>

Heero blinked. He'd never seen Zechs this fired up during the war, and while he was usually much more rational, this was extreme even for him. Zechs liked the facts, he liked to know whatever it was he was getting in to, but he never discounted human feelings before. Heero had supposed it was a trait of Treize's that rubbed off, but had only rubbed off so much.

"You will answer me."

"It's none of your business," came the calm reply.

"This isn't just about me, it's about Relena."

"I seem to recall that you were okay with us getting married."

"Do you swear that you're not going to just up and leave her?"

"What?"

"Do you swear that you're in this for the long haul?"

Heero balked.

"I'm waiting for the answer."

"If I was planning on leaving her I wouldn't bother proposing, now would I?" Heero finally managed to retort. The ice in Zechs' eyes was something he had never seen before and frankly it was a little unnerving.

Zechs sighed before running a hand through his hair. "I don't want to see her hurt. She's suffered enough already." His humanity finally returned, Zechs carefully stared down his prey. "So, you're planning to stay with her?"

"Until my dying day."

Leaning back in his chair, Zechs allowed himself a small sigh. "Good, good."


	26. Wastrel

**Once a Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Relena, Pagan; none**  
>Words: <strong>190**  
>Author's Notes: <strong>I realized, twenty-six drabbles into this, that I had yet to use Pagan. So here he is, being awesome as usual.**  
><strong>

**Wastrel - a good for nothing, a wasteful person**

* * *

><p>"Augh."<p>

"Something the matter, Miss Relena?"

Relena looked up at Pagan and sighed. "I've been going over some of the financial statements from the other ministers and I'm starting to worry. We're hearing quite a bit from the people that they think we're spending unwisely, and I might be inclined to agree."

"But why are you going over the financial reports? It's not your job," the old butler mused.

"You're right, it's not."

"I sense a 'but' attached to that."

"And you'd be correct. I can't just take the comments that we're spending wastefully sitting down. If we're wasting money somewhere, I want to know about it."

"I still maintain that it shouldn't be your concern," Pagan reiterated. "I think it's admirable that you're looking into it, but as the Vice-foreign Minister it's a waste of your time unless you want to look specifically into your department."

Leaning back in her chair, Relena smiled. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I'll start looking into my department to see if I can't make some changes there. Everyone else will simply have to step up."

Pagan beamed at her. "Very good, Miss Relena."


	27. Lummox

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Relena, Dorothy; None**  
>Words: <strong>362**  
>Author's Note: <strong>And twenty-seven drabbles into this project I realized Dorothy hadn't appeared. I honestly adore Dorothy, because she's such a delightfully complex character and ridiculously fun to write.**  
><strong>

**Lummox - a clumsy, stupid person**

* * *

><p><em>He meant well, he always meant well<em>, Relena reminded herself as she blotted the spilled wine on her blouse.

"Is it at total loss or can your blouse be saved?" a voice asked. Relena looked up to see Dorothy standing near the door to the ladies room, a shopping bag in hand.

"With some dry cleaning, it can be saved but I'm not spending the rest of the conference topless," she answered dully. "I know that George means well, but I can't help but feel that things always go horribly wrong for him when he tries to do the right thing."

"For what it's worth, everyone else finds it amusing," Dorothy noted as she handed Relena the bag. Opening it cautiously, the Vice-foreign Minister peered inside. "Oh relax. Heero gave that to me to give to you. He said he kept spare clothing for all occasions in the trunk of your car."

"Of course he does. He's freakishly ten steps ahead of all us like that," Relena muttered as she pulled out a fresh blouse. Stripping down and not caring that Dorothy was watching her, Relena made sure that the wine hadn't stained anything else.

"What would you like me to tell George?" Dorothy asked as she leaned against a sink. "He's waiting outside the door, you know."

"Tell him I'll be out in a few minutes, and for the love of God, don't let him get me any more food. I'm perfectly capable of serving myself," Relena replied as she shrugged the blouse on and began to do up the buttons.

"Will do. What do you want to do about your stained shirt?"

"I'll hand it off to Heero after I leave. He's capable of dealing with it," Relena answered as she checked her reflection. She turned to Dorothy. "How do I look?"

The blond looked over her friend with a critical eye. "The blouse is a little wrinkled, but there's nothing you can do about that. A few wrinkles are nothing compared to a wine stain."

Looking at her reflection once more, Relena sighed in defeat. "You're right. Come on, let's get back out there."

"As you wish, Miss Relena."


	28. Dilettante

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Dorothy, Relena, Heero, Sally, Wufei; sort of, kind of 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>518**  
>Author's Note: <strong>Dorothy returns! I love her. I really do. This is really an ensemble piece rather than just focusing on Heero and Relena. Yes, most of them are very much Heero and Relena centric in nature, but I feel it's a shame to ignore everyone else.

Also a little note - for those who don't want to leave a review here or simply want to ask me a question, feel free to do so at my blog. The link to my LiveJournal is on my profile (I think we're still in copy/paste mode) and there's a sticky post at the top which will accept comments even from anonymous users. If you want to comment, ask a question, or just drop in to say hi, that's the place to do so. I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible, and the sticky entry goes into that in more detail. Cheers!**  
><strong>

**Dilettante - one who takes up an activity or interest in a superficial or casual way; **_**adj:**_** superficial; amateurish**

* * *

><p>Bradley Worthington III smiled pleasantly at Relena, ignoring the knot of people standing around her, as he took up his position on the badminton court. He bowed in a most gentlemanly way in her direction, causing Relena to blush from her toes to her ears. He then turned his focus to the badminton match he was about to play, looking awkward and unsure as he took his spot on the court.<p>

"Somebody has a crush," Dorothy sing-songed from behind her.

"I do not," Relena retorted quickly.

"I meant he has a crush on you. The only reason why he's here today is because you are," Dorothy informed her friend. Relena groaned.

"The man's an upper class twit," Wufei observed.

"Rich idiot with no day job," Sally added.

"I get it, you don't like him," Relena said tightly as she tried to focus on the match. Bradley was doing poorly, but was playing it like he was being bad on purpose. "But he _is_ the son of the Minister of Agriculture."

"Well, I think that Bradley Worthington, Jr. is an upper class twit as well," Wufei snarked. "What does a man who has lived in large cities and country manor houses know about running farms?" The group held their tongues, as they weren't about to get into the ineffectual way the elder Worthington was running his office.

"Really, does he think that he's going to impress you by being so terrible?" Dorothy mused as she watched the younger Worthington scramble to get to the birdie – and miss by a very wide margin.

"I've told him time and again that I'm not looking for a relationship," Relena said as Bradley dove for the birdie, just barely managing to get it over the net.

"Maybe you need to tell Heero to rough him up a little. That should scare him away," Sally said casually as leaned back in her chair. Beside her, Wufei snickered.

Blushing even more than before, Relena shook her head. "No, absolutely not."

"Oh come now, you know he'd do it in a heartbeat," Dorothy said. When Relena shook her head again, she sighed. "Fine, I'll tell him if you won't. After Heero's done interrogating Bradley about his intentions with you, Mr. Worthington III will not bother you again."

"Did I miss something?" Heero asked as he returned to the group, a glass of lemonade in hand. He handed it off to Relena before standing next to her.

"Bradley Worthington III has been eyeballing Relena like a porter house steak," Dorothy said before Relena could stop her. Mortified, Relena tried to hide behind Wufei and Sally, both of whom where stifling their laughter.

"Is that so," Heero murmured, his attention flicking towards the young man on the badminton court. The boy was obviously in way over his head, which was impressive seeing as badminton was hardly a difficult sport to play, even for someone who only ever played it at lawn parties and family picnics. "I'll have to have a word with him later."

Dorothy smiled triumphantly at Relena, who was trying her damnedest not to look relieved.


	29. Roué

**Once a Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Relena, Quatre, Heero; semi-1xR if only because Heero's protective of his charge**  
>Words:<strong> 479**  
>Author's Note: <strong>This one was kind of fun. Nothing quite like writing pervy old men.**  
><strong>

**Roué - a debauched man, especially an elderly man from a wealthy or aristocratic family**

* * *

><p>Relena bit her lip to keep herself from yelping when she felt Richard Mayborough, Lord of Derwent, pinch her behind. She was fairly certain that he was old enough to be her great-grandfather, but that didn't keep him from eyeballing her like a piece of meat. She firmly plastered her smile in place and made a barely perceptible motion with her hand to keep Heero from tackling the man to the ground.<p>

"Relena my darling," he practically purred in her ear. "You are the spitting image of your grandmother."

"Thank you for saying so. I've seen old photos of her in the Sanc Kingdom archives, she was very beautiful," Relena responded automatically. It wasn't a lie – during her short time as the governing princess of her country she had Pagan help her trace back her family tree. It hadn't been a difficult task, though digging through the archives which had been ruffled during the assault thirteen years prior had made organizing a bit of a chore.

"She was an eloquent speaker and an accomplished dancer, much like yourself," he continued. Relena nodded, a cautious smile on her face. What on earth was he getting at? "I wanted to romance her, but she set her eye on someone else."

"Ah." Dear Lord, the man was attempting to relive his youth through her. He was already married and had kids and grandkids with kids of their own on the way!

"Relena, there you are!" a voice said from behind them.

She turned to find Quatre smiling pleasantly at her. "Quatre, how nice to see you!" Relief flooded through her.

"Lord Derwent, if you don't mind, I'd like to dance with Relena," Quatre said with a deep bow.

The older man sighed. "Yes, I suppose you young things will want to have fun without a fuddy-duddy like me." He spirits lifted, however, when a diplomat's young and attractive daughter swished by unattended, and he took off after her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she chanted as Quatre waltzed her along the outside lane, finally stopping her near a large column where Heero stood silently watching.

"Heero said he pinched you," Quatre said, his brow furrowed in concern.

"No amount of bathing will ever allow me to feel clean," she muttered as she broke from Quatre and then hugged herself. "Ewwww."

"Heero, where are you going?" Quatre asked as he watched his friend start to walk away.

"I think letting the air out of one his tires is repayment enough, don't you think?" he asked, not even bothering to turn around.

"Just letting the air out," Relena said with a frown. "No shooting, no slashing."

"Got it." With that, Heero continued out of the ballroom. Turning to Quatre, Relena shrugged. Not even she could have stopped him, and most everyone knew that messing with Relena meant messing with her over protective bodyguard.


	30. Poseur

**Once a Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Relena, Heero, Trowa; 1xR because Trowa is not blind**  
>Words: <strong>988**  
>Author's Note: <strong>I really felt like putting Heero on the spot. I've always felt that Trowa is a quiet observer, that's he's always very aware of what's going on around him. Who else would be better to grill Heero on his sort of relationship with Relena?**  
><strong>

**Poseur - one who behaves in an affected manner to impress others**

* * *

><p>The swarm of young men that were gathered around Relena irritated Heero. Next to him Trowa chuckled softly as he bit the inside of his lip to keep from making some flip remark about going over to stake his claim. They hadn't talked much while tracking down Field Marshal Noventa's family, but it didn't take a whole lot of guessing to determine that there was someone on Heero's mind.<p>

It had started with an innocent observation that Sylvia Noventa had seemed taken with Heero. The Wing pilot had snorted and replied that he didn't have time to worry about another girl. Trowa had gently prodded Heero about the kind of girl that was on his mind, but he had remained resolutely mum on the subject. Of course when she showed up in Antarctica, Trowa realized exactly what kind of girl she was and why she was on Heero's mind.

"They're morons," Heero nearly snarled.

"If it bothers you so much, then maybe you should tell her would-be suitors that she's yours?" Trowa suggested, smiling serenely at the death glare Heero threw his direction.

"Look at them, pretending that they like the same things she likes in an attempt to impress her," Heero growled. "Sure, she likes Jane Austin but _The Little Prince_ is her favorite book. And yes, she enjoys Billy Wilder films but she really loves Blake Edwards."

"Mm, and I'm sure you know what her favorite foods are, how she likes to spend her evenings and why aren't you two married yet?" Trowa smirked at the flush creeping up Heero's neck.

"That isn't important," he mumbled in response.

"She knows those men are frauds, and at any rate there's no one else she'd rather be with than you," Trowa said drolly. "Take a deep breath and promise me you won't maim them. They're the ones making themselves look stupid. You don't have to do a damn thing."

Watching his friend carefully, Trowa could see Heero using every iota of restraint he had to not march over to the pack of simpering puppies around Relena and beat them within an inch of their lives. He shook his head at the way the former Wing Zero pilot ran hot and cold for her. Care too much or not at all. Save her life or threaten to end it. There was rarely a middle ground.

Frowning, Trowa rethought the last sentiment. Of course there was a middle ground and that's where Heero was firmly planted. He wasn't out of her life but he wasn't exactly in it either. All of the other Gundam pilots had discussed their relationship, with Duo and Quatre being the most knowledgeable.

"All I know is that he'd die for her, and for someone who claimed that he was always alone, he's got someone for sure whether he realizes it or not," Quatre had noted in the mess hall of Peacemillion. Duo had almost immediately agreed. Wufei had merely scoffed and Trowa thought back to the duel in Antarctica. Leave it to Quatre to see straight to the heart of the matter.

"I know you're living with her, but are you two involved?" Trowa asked as Relena forced herself to smile at a compliment. She looked over at the pair with pleading eyes, but neither man made a motion to relieve her of the unwanted attention.

"It's…complicated."

"Humor me, then."

"We share a bathroom."

"At the same time?"

"Sometimes."

"Interesting." Trowa paused to consider Heero's vague answer. "Does that mean she comes in to do her hair and make-up while you're in the shower or that you'll run in to brush your teeth while she's in the shower?"

Next to him, Heero shifted his weight but remained silent.

"I think I've hit the nail on the head," Trowa murmured with a small smile. "Have you shared showers?"

"Sort of."

Trowa's eyebrows shot up, but he said nothing. It was supposed to be a joke.

"We sometimes piggy back. I'll get in as she's getting out and vice versa, though sometimes we have to shower together if things are running late."

"There are how many other showers are in that mansion?" Trowa asked with a bemused expression on his face.

"Enough that theoretically I shouldn't have to share a shower with her, but, I don't know, sometimes it's nice. It's not like we do anything, we're too busy trying to make sure we're clean and God that sounds so much worse than it actually is."

Clearly amused that Heero had been reduced to rambling, Trowa turned his attention back to Relena, who was now not so subtly trying to get their attention. He sighed. "You should go get her. Tell them that she has an appointment to get to."

"She doesn't have any appointments today."

"That is beside the point," Trowa replied. "They don't need to know that she doesn't have an appointment, she just needs to get away from them. So get up on that white horse of yours and go save the princess."

Taking a deep breath, Heero approached the group and held out his hand. "Vice-foreign Minister, we need to go. We'll be late for your appointment."

Relief washed over Relena. "Yes, of course. I had nearly forgotten about that until you reminded me. Thank you." She smiled and bid farewell to her group of admirers before taking Heero's arm and allowing him to escort her to the front of the house.

From where he stood, Trowa noted that there was nothing unusual about the interaction between them. It wasn't unless one really knew the pair that they could see the change. The way Relena's smile radiated happiness or the way that Heero's stance relaxed was so subtle that sometimes even Trowa had problems seeing it. However it was there, and if it took a little more pushing to get them to realize their feelings, he was certainly game to do just that.


	31. Promethean

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; none**  
>Words: <strong>101**  
>Author's Notes: <strong>I really wanted to do this one in exactly 100 words but there was no way to get it there. So it's 101. Close enough! Anyway, one of the joys of cohabitation is decorating. I'm not entirely sure how I managed to convince my husband to let me put up the _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ movie posters in the living room, but I did and I love them. Looooooove them! And moving on, it's a sweet little domestic scene, but not particularly romantic in nature.**  
><strong>

**Promethean - boldly creative; defiant; audacious; a person who is boldly creative or defiantly original**

* * *

><p>"That's terrible. Why would you want to hang it in the living room?"<p>

"It's art, Heero, and it's beautiful."

"It's hideous. I thought you were a person of refinement and taste."

"I am. So it's a little different from what I usually go for, but I like it."

"It's tacky."

"It's creative."

"It's ugly."

"It's unique."

"I was wrong. As Duo would say, it's _fugly_."

"It's art and completely subjective. I like it and as this is my house I'll do with it as I want. As such, I'll be hanging it in the living room and you'll deal with it."


	32. Dionysian

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; light 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>894**  
>Author's Notes: <strong>This was written around Mardi Gras, if I remember correctly, which just seemed to fit the word. This was a fun one, if only because writing about people in fancy pants costumes is entertaining for me.**  
><strong>

**Dionysian - **_**adjective:**_** Uninhibited; undisciplined; spontaneous; wild; orgiastic.**

* * *

><p>With a throaty laugh, Relena tossed her head back. She held out her wine glass for a refill from a masked waiter who promptly filled her request. The Mardi Gras party she was attending was filled with people in elaborate costumes and masks, enticing food, and plenty of alcohol.<p>

Most of her cares were gone, because today she wasn't Vice-foreign Minister Darlian. She wasn't even Princess Relena, since dressing up as nobility had absolutely zero appeal for the former Queen of the World. She was instead dressed as a Victorian era Southern Belle, putting on the "full on Scarlett O'Hara" as she liked to call it. Tonight she could giggle coquettishly and bat her eyelashes at young men and pretend that she wasn't a big name politician but just another girl at the party.

Feeling heady from the wine, Relena smiled lazily at a young man who was saying something, but she couldn't quite make it out over the cacophony of voices, clinking glassware, and music. She asked him to repeat himself, and he leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear. The joke was kind of funny, so she politely laughed, and then excused herself to get some fresh air.

February in the southeast of the North American continent was pleasant. Not too hot and not too cold, it was perfect for someone who was wearing layers upon layers of historically accurate clothing down to the underpinnings. She fanned herself as she moved about the quiet garden, the sounds of laughter and music drifting out through open doors and windows. The solitude was a nice, and much needed, change of pace.

Pausing near a burbling fountain, she turned her face up towards the moon and wondered if the rest of the world was celebrating as well. Though it started as a religious celebration, Fat Tuesday had lost most of its spiritual connotations and was now more of an excuse to party on a work night more than anything else. Even those who wouldn't be going to mass the next day to begin their observation of Lent were partying.

Relena was pulled out of her thoughts by footsteps behind her. She turned in mild alarm, but calmed when she saw a young man standing before her in Confederacy officer's uniform. She dropped a quick curtsey and then returned to her moon gazing.

"It's a nice night out," she said, feeling awkward in the silence.

"Quite nice," came the quiet reply.

Half of her mouth turned up. "Even when wearing a costume you're still a soldier."

"Old habits die hard, I suppose."

"A rebel, even."

"Hn."

She chuckled. "Were you feeling as claustrophobic as I was in there?"

"I've been in worse."

"Oh, so have I but for some reason that ballroom felt really oppressive," she murmured.

"You've probably had too much wine."

"Yes, probably." She sighed. "To be honest, I'm feeling kind of bored. I thought that this would be fun, dressing up and getting to mingle without people making a fuss over who I am because we're all pretending to be someone else."

"But?"

"But I know people recognize me and I know that people are attempting to make some sort of impression on me like I'll remember them tomorrow morning."

"And you won't?"

"They're starting to blur together, and that's without the help of the wine."

"I see." He paused to think over the problem. "Would you like me take you back to the hotel? We'll watch a bad movie with really bad for us food and make fun of it."

Relena burst out laughing. "In case you haven't noticed, but I'm wearing a full 1860's ball gown, hoopskirt included. There is no way I'm getting into a car tonight."

"Well, lucky you, then," he answered. "The hotel is within walking distance. Granted you don't mind the walk taking half an hour, of course."

"Hmm, walking half an hour in a dress that weighs almost twenty pounds?" she said as she thoughtfully tapped her fan against her chin. "Well, I'm not wearing heels so I say why not?"

He eyed her outfit skeptically. "That can't weight twenty pounds."

"The fabric for the dress alone, made of satin taffeta, weighs almost five and that's not including the extra fabric for bows and ruffles and then there's all of the lace trim. Then I have the full hoopskirt, petticoats, the corset, the chemise and finally drawers. I'm pretty sure if you dumped all of that onto a scale, it'll come out close to twenty pounds. But thankfully I'm not wearing heels."

"The things women do in the name of fashion," he mumbled as he rolled his eyes.

"Buck up soldier, at least you're not wearing it," she gently teased. "Now I was promised bad movies and junk food and I fully expect you to deliver."

He held out his arm. "I would be honored to."

Eyebrows raised, she looked at her escort rather intently. There was no way she could get that close to him given the circumference of her hoopskirt. "I appreciate the gesture, but I think you're asking for the impossible."

His eyes flicked down to the full skirt and nodded. "Right. Let's go, I heard their showing the old _Clash of the Titans_ on one of the retro movie channels tonight. Mechanical owls, anyone?"

"Sounds like an excellent choice," she laughed.


	33. Palladium

**Once a Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Wufei; observed 1xR and denial about 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>493**  
>Author's Note: <strong>So when I first saw this word I thought of _Iron Man 2_, and then switched gears to a more appropriate venue. Poor Heero must be getting sick of everyone telling him how he feels. Silly, thick headed males. I have experience with that. (Thankfully he got his act together and our fourth wedding anniversary is in three weeks.) Anyway, this one has Wufei calling Heero on his behavior because out of all of them, Wufei's probably the only one who would do it - and enjoy every second of it.**  
><strong>

**Palladium - a safeguard; a rare, silvery-white metal**

* * *

><p>"There is such a thing as being too good at your job you know."<p>

Heero didn't even bother to remove himself from underneath the black town car that was used to chauffeur Relena around. He didn't even bother answering. There was too much work to do.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Heero grunted. "I can hear you just fine, Wufei, I'm just busy."

"She's probably the best protected politician in the world. She's probably the best protected politician ever. I don't think anything bad would happen if you eased up a little."

"You don't know that."

"Well that's certainly true, but I'm pretty sure that she's starting to feel smothered."

"Are you."

"Sure as in she told me so herself. Relax, she's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"She'll get herself killed."

"You don't know that."

"You've never been in my position. Stop assuming you know how I feel about this."

"I've been in your shoes before. Believe me; I know exactly how you feel because in my case she died. However she died the way she wanted to, on her terms, and despite my failure to protect her, I know that she is at peace. I honor her memory every day and carry her in my heart."

Heero slid out from underneath the car so he could glare at Wufei. "Just what are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that you act like a jealous lover whenever she spends time with another male who could be potential boyfriend material and react by ramping up her security."

"Hn."

Wufei shrugged. "Suit yourself, but at the rate you're going she's going to kick you out."

"Have I really done too much?"

"Yes, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. The others, however, refuse to speak up, so I'll just tell it like it is. You are acting like an overprotective dog, which growls and snarls when she gets too close to someone you don't like, and then sulks when she tells you that you're misbehaving, but you sulk by chewing up shoes or digging a hole in the garden. You aren't doing yourself any favors by pitching a hissy fit every time she does her job." Wufei peered down to where Heero was laying on a piece of greasy cardboard. "I understand that you want to keep her safe, but you've taken it to such a ridiculous extreme that it's almost comical. At least it would be comical if it weren't so pathetic."

"I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Welcome to the club. Stay alert, keep your ear to the ground, and hope for the best. It's all you should be doing." Wufei raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you're married to her."

Wordlessly, Heero slid himself back under the car. Wufei snorted.

"Fine, be that way, but we also all know how you feel about her so you might as well own up to it."

Heero merely grunted.


	34. Junoesque

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero; 1xR if you squint**  
>Words: <strong>371**  
>Author's Note: <strong>Augh. I do not like this one, but I was drawing a blank on pretty much anything else.

That said, I apologize for the hiatus. Life has been sort of crazy, what with family coming to visit, work, helping friends move, etc. Also my muse decided to shut up regarding this particular set of drabbles, so I'm poking at other projects while she decides what she wants to do here. The bitch.**  
><strong>

**Junoesque - Having a stately bearing and regal beauty; statuesque**

* * *

><p>He wanted to get the image of her out of his mind, but the picture of her standing before Romefeller in that dress stayed firmly in place. It had almost been comical, Relena being swallowed by that gown, but the expression on her face had been fierce. She meant business, and Romefeller had surprisingly reacted well. Only a few members of the old guard objected to her goals, and they were completely ineffectual.<p>

On the plus side, it meant he didn't have to put a bullet through her skull or through her heart. For some odd reason, he felt relieved.

He'd become too attached to her during his stay in the Sanc Kingdom. He'd seen her in various uniforms, of course. The St. Gabriel's uniform. The Sanc Kingdom's school uniform. Her Sanc politician's uniform. He'd seen her in a party dress and in casual clothes. He'd seen nearly every facet of her, but the Queen of the World was new.

She wasn't a girl anymore; she was a woman and damn if he didn't realize it. With a dry chuckle he knew it was only a matter of days before Romefeller was funding the creation of statues of her likeness. In his opinion it was still a little too early to immortalize her in stone, but he certainly understood the sentiment. Even he could admit that she was pretty in her own special way.

Deep down he knew he'd never be able to forget the image of her standing on the dais, sunlight behind her as she stated her intentions for Romefeller. He didn't know which was more impressive, that a girl of fifteen could project the authority and confidence of a woman twice her age or that an institution as deeply entrenched in tradition as Romefeller was embracing the changes she sought. However both were fairly impressive, and he knew to give credit when it was due.

As he headed back to the hotel he was staying at, he listened to the people on the street talking about "Queen Relena" in reverent tones. Half of his mouth twitched up as he remembered her in that dress again. Ridiculous as it had been, it certainly fit people's expectations. His own included.


	35. Apollonian

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; 1xR as Heero admires Relena's...assets. Ha.**  
>Words: <strong>374**  
>Author's Note: <strong>This is some fairly harmless fluff. And it was ridiculously fun to write.**  
><strong>

**Apollonian - serene; harmonious; disciplined; well-balanced**

* * *

><p>Yoga. It was one of the few things that kept Relena from completely losing her mind when dealing with sniveling diplomats all day. She was currently in the wide-legged forward bend when she noticed a pair of legs walk into her eye line. She blinked, let out her breath, and then pulled herself into a standing position.<p>

She turned to find Heero looking at her with an appreciative smile on his face. She raised her eyebrows. "Enjoying the view?"

He switched to a full on smirk. "Yes."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "Good to know. Is there something I can do for you?"

Still staring at her backside, he nodded. "I wanted to confirm tomorrow's schedule."

"And how does that include staring at my ass?"

"It's a very nice ass."

"My ass has nothing to do with my schedule except what meetings it'll be sitting in," Relena retorted. Not that she didn't appreciate the attention, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Right, well, I need to brief the security team about your movements. Normally a conference like this wouldn't be a big deal but there's been some political unrest in the area and you're a target."

"I'm aware of it."

"Are you going to give me a copy of your schedule for tomorrow or not?"

Walking over to the dresser where her briefcase was, she rummaged around a bit before producing a sheet of paper. She handed it over with a flourish. "Everything you need to know about tomorrow."

"Thank you," he answered as he scanned it. He flicked his eyes up to her face, the first time since he'd arrived in her suite a few minutes ago. "So…yoga."

"You'd do it too if you spent all day with whiny politicians."

He laughed, a rare, genuine laugh that crinkled his eyes and made his features light up. Guh, he was devastatingly handsome when he did that. "I do spend all day with whiny politicians, but I just go to a shooting range to blow off some steam. Sometimes I pretend that my target is Duo."

She burst out laughing. "That doesn't surprise me in the least."

"I figured you'd appreciate that," he grinned. Oh, the things they did to keep their calm.


	36. Truce

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; mostly 1xR friendship but with slight romantic undertones.**  
>Words:<strong> 451**  
>Author's Note: <strong>As some of you may remember, I had originally had an idea for "Pneumatic" that I ultimately didn't do because I came up with it right as I was falling asleep. And then I forgot it by the next morning and wrote something else. But I promised that I'd use paintball in _something._

Well, here it is. You're welcome.**  
><strong>

**Truce - **_**noun**_**: 1. A suspension of hostilities by mutual agreement; armistice; cease-fire. 2. A temporary respite from something unpleasant.**

* * *

><p>Breathing heavily, Relena couldn't hear anything above the sound of her pulse thrumming in her ears. Ducking behind a tree, she slid down and slowed her breathing, straining to hear something, anything.<p>

A bird chirped nearby, followed by three soft pops. Elsewhere a shout was heard. Closing her eyes, she focused herself and tried to get a grip on her surroundings. Moderately forested, with rocks and trees for cover. She could hear the others running around, rustling as they moved through the brush.

Taking a deep breath, she peeked around the tree and noted a form sneaking through. Sighting her target, she squeezed the trigger and smirked when the form yelped and dove behind a large boulder. "I know you're over there!"

She smirked as lined up another shot. When the head popped up she fired off another round.

"Okay, you know what, this is getting old. I call for a cease fire."

"Then you give up?" she called back.

Her prey snorted. "I'm not giving up, I'm being pragmatic in that it's nearly lunchtime and we're the only two still playing and if we don't end this soon Duo's going to come back as a zombie and get us both just so he can eat."

"Surrender and I'll accept and be lenient."

"That is not a cease fire!"

"You're right," she answered amiably. "That's why it's called surrender."

"And why should I surrender? You should surrender!"

"I've surrendered enough times in my career that I have no desire to do so now. However if you surrender I will make it worth your while."

"I'm not sleeping with you."

"I wasn't offering!"

"Then what are you going to do to make it worth my while?"

"I was going to take you on vacation but since you're planning on doing this the hard way…" She squeezed the trigger and grinned when she heard the distinctive thud of the paintballs splattering against his chest and shoulders. "Heero Yuy, you have been beaten."

"Great, I've gotten my ass kicked by a pacifist," he mumbled as he removed his helmet.

"Yes, well all is fair in love in war," she answered as she removed her own helmet and shook out her hair. She was still smiling triumphantly as she approached him. "Shall we head back? Dorothy pointed out a lovely little eatery on the drive here."

"Fine. Duo gets cranky when he's hungry and I really don't feel like listening to him whine the entire drive back to town." As they started their trek back to the parking lot, he glanced at her. "If I had surrendered and asked nicely, would you have slept with me?"

She punched his arm. "Well now you'll never know."


	37. Graffiti

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Duo, Relena; Duo and Hilde shipping Heero and Relena**  
>Words: <strong>435**  
>Author's Notes: <strong>My muse, she's fickle. She's currently playing in the _Labyrinth _ and _Legend of Korra_ fandoms and sadly some of my more established works are suffering. Like this one. Which is sad seeing as I have quite a bit written but not posted.

Anyway, I actually had a lot of fun with this one. And we all know Duo would probably do something like this...**  
><strong>

**Graffiti - Words or drawing made on a wall or other surface in a public place. **

* * *

><p>Morning runs were supposed to be pleasant, so why did Heero feel the sudden urge to murder someone? He stalked back towards Relena's house and marched himself into the kitchen where he found his target sitting at the table sipping his coffee as he read the morning news. Cobalt blue eyes looked up and Duo tilted his chin in greeting.<p>

"Mornin' buddy."

Heero said nothing as he grabbed the back of Duo's jacket and bodily hefted him up and dragged him out of the kitchen.

"What the hell, man?!" the former Deathscythe pilot bellowed as he was unceremoniously dragged towards the door.

Relena had been doing yoga in her living room but was disturbed by the sudden hullaballoo in the foyer. Poking her head out, she saw Duo struggling in vain to get away from Heero. Silently she trotted behind them, curious as to what had gotten into Heero on this particular morning.

"Damn it, Heero, let me go!" Duo protested. He tried to shrug out of his jacket, but Heero merely adjusted his grip so he was holding onto the collar of Duo's shirt.

A few minutes later they arrived at a large oak near the edge of the property. Duo scowled up at his friend. "It's a tree, Heero, even you know that."

The former Wing Zero pilot swung his comrade around so he could see the marking on the tree's trunk. In a roughly hewn heart were the initials "H.Y." and "R.D." Duo swallowed. "Umm…"

"Mind telling me about this?" Heero asked, the picture of tranquil fury.

"It's graffiti," Duo answered.

"Mind telling me how it got there?"

"Umm, well obviously someone had to put it there." Heero's grip tightened on Duo's collars. "Okay, okay, I put it there, but I didn't think you'd see it! And Hilde thought it was funny!"

"It's not funny."

"Oh I don't know," Relena said as she leaned down to examine the crude carving. "I think it's kind of sweet that they think of us."

"It's not sweet, either."

"It's just a little harmless graffiti," Relena said. "It could be worse, you know. It could have been painted on a wall somewhere. At least on this tree towards the base it's not at eye level and you have to look for it."

Heero made an indistinct grumbling in the back of his throat.

"C'mon, buddy, I was just having a bit of fun," Duo whined.

"Let him go, Heero."

"He needs to be disciplined for this."

"The garden needs to be weeded, he can do that."

Heero smirked. "That's fine with me."

"Aw man," Duo groaned.


	38. Insignia

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero; implied 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>165**  
>Author's Note: <strong>Fluff, fluff, fluffity, fluff. Did I mention that this is a fluff piece? Because it totally is.**  
><strong>

**Insignia - 1. A badge or emblem of rank, office, or membership in a group. 2. A distinguishing mark of something.**

* * *

><p>The stress of this particular mission was starting to get to him. He'd been cut off from everyone he knew except for the occasional update from Preventer. Work missives were always cut and dry, all official and impersonal.<p>

This was not a work missive.

The seal of the office of the Vice-foreign Minister on the letterhead was welcome. The content of the letter wasn't much more than Relena checking in and letting him know that things were quiet and that she missed him. It made him feel better knowing that she was thinking of him. He quickly wrote a response to Lady Une with a request that she forward it on to Relena. Though he had never felt compelled to respond to her before, he knew that he'd never be able to get to sleep if he left her letter unanswered.

Once the message was sent off, Heero settled himself into bed and started ticking off the days until he could go home. To Relena.


	39. Viscera

**Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: **Heero, Relena; they wish it was 1xR**  
>Words: <strong>483**  
>Author's Notes:<strong> I imagine that Heero's a bit like my husband and has a habit of disappearing to take care of things when people are visiting. My husband has been known to take my car to change the oil, check the fluids, inflate the tires and wash it when he wants to avoid me and my friends. (He says it's because we're loud. I say it's because he's largely anti-social by nature. Silly engineers.) Anyway, Heero's behavior is once again influenced by my lovely husband.**  
><strong>

**Viscera - 1. The internal organs located in the main cavities of the body, especially those in the abdominal cavity. 2. The interior parts.**

* * *

><p>With a soft grunt, Heero managed to pull the oil filter from the car. Placing the oil pan below the stream of black, he slid out from under the car to get the new filter. He was currently up to his elbows in grease doing the maintenance on Relena's car, which suited him when the house was filled with politicians who rather enjoyed condescending to him, treating him no better than hired help.<p>

At least the car wasn't going to make snide comments about how he looked or behaved. He understood the car and he liked to think that the car understood him, even when he was elbow deep in its guts.

There was a soft tapping at the door and he looked up to see Relena leaning against the doorjamb with a glass of lemonade in hand. "How goes it?"

"It goes," he shrugged as he accepted the glass. "Draining the old oil and then I'll put the new filter on and refill it. After that I'll rotate the tires and check the pressure.

"You know, most of the other politicians have a certified mechanic on call, but I have to admit, the fact that you just do this saves me the hassle of remembering to make the appointments."

"I do because it keeps me out of the house when you have those political types over." He peered over her shoulder at the mansion. "Shouldn't you be entertaining your guests?"

"They'll be fine for a few minutes," she answered with a small smile. "I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

He jerked his head towards the car. "I have that to occupy me. Why wouldn't I be doing okay?"

"Because I know how much you hate it when I host functions," she replied simply.

"I accept that it's part of your job, which is why I disappear."

"I wish you wouldn't."

"They don't like me and I don't like them. Given our mutual disdain, I think it's better for all parties involved to steer clear of each other."

"If you told them who you were-"

"They wouldn't believe me and you know it. None of those suits would ever believe a kid was piloting a Gundam."

"I know, I know. It was just a suggestion, Heero."

"There's nothing wrong with the way things are now," he said as he handed the glass back to her. "Just let me know when you're hosting these things and I'll busy myself with the car. Even if it's just vacuuming the damn thing out."

With a small smile, Relena shook her head. "I need to head back in. I'll send Pagan out to get you once everyone clears out."

"Thank you."

Her brilliant smiled answered him. For him, she'd do anything. Especially when he was elbows deep in the inner bits of her car for no other reason than he wanted to be.


	40. Paraphenalia

****Once A Day  
>CharactersPairings: ****Heero, Relena; just short of them being an actual couple****  
>Words: <strong>**452**  
>Author's<strong> **Notes: **So I've been distracted by other fandoms, but I haven't quite given up on this. It'll be much slower going, but I'm still working on it when I feel a sudden burst of inspiration.

**Paraphernalia - 1. Articles and equipment related to an activity. 2. Personal belongings.**

* * *

><p>Looking for a book, Relena wandered into Heero's room. She never had a reason to enter his quarters before, mostly because if they were spending time together they did it in her bedroom, where she had an extra plush bed and theater system. He had always insisted on being in her room because it was her domain and she could set the rules and he would abide by them.<p>

At the time she had thought it all rather noble and chivalrous.

Now that she was looking at his room, she knew why he preferred hers. The décor in his room could quite charitably be called Spartan.

She was fairly certain that she had seen hotel rooms look cozier than his room. Everything was basic. Everything. Utilitarian and completely practical. Curiosity taking over, Relena started opening and closing the drawers, surprised at just how little he owned. Only a few pairs of jeans and work slacks; one pair of work shoes, a pair of boots and a pair of athletic shoes; a handful of plain tee shirts and some button down oxfords for work. She assumed he slept in his underwear because she didn't find anything even remotely resembling pajamas, and his exercise clothes were folded neatly on a chair by the door.

Of course Heero was used to living his life on the run, and the ability to just pack up and go was something he prized. However he had been living with her for nearly six months and still showed signs of his nomadic lifestyle.

After a few more minutes of poking around (oh Lord, if Pagan could see her now he'd say that she was snooping and ladies did not snoop through their pseudo-boyfriend's belongings) she found the book she had been searching for on his nightstand. With it in hand she headed towards the bathroom that connected their rooms when he strode in.

Flushing at being caught in his room of all places, she held up the book, a flimsy excuse about him stealing it before she was done with it dying on her lips when he cocked his head in curiosity. With a sigh, she shrugged. "I came in looking for the book and couldn't help poking around. Don't you own anything with sentimental value?" He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off, "That isn't your gun?"

He clamped his jaw shut and she had her answer. "Oh Heero," she murmured.

"I don't really need things," he shrugged.

"Then what do you need?" she asked.

In three steps he was standing in front of her, pulling her against him. "Nothing but you."


	41. Capricious

**Once A Day  
><strong><strong>CharactersPairings: ******Heero, Relena**; **friendship fluff only******  
>Words: <strong>****260****  
>Author's<strong> **Notes: ****So here's the thing. I have roughly 260 of these prompts. And yes, the idea is to do them all and post them all here. A few things to know. 1) These are anywhere between 100 - 2000 words, usually nothing longer than that. 2) I have contemplated breaking them into smaller chunks, say fifty shorts per collection instead of posting all 260 something prompts in one collection. 3) So far I've only written about 45 of them****. ****

So what does this all mean? I'm still working on them; I find them great ways to relax or unwind when other writing projects get overwhelming. A lot of them tend to hover around 500 words, so I feel that keeping them in one collection isn't necessarily a terrible idea. However, if you, the readers, feel it would be better to break them up into collections of fifty shorts, I am perfectly okay with that. I welcome any feedback you might have on this issue.****  
><strong>**

**Capricious - Whimsical, impulsive, unpredictable**

* * *

><p>There were certain things that Heero simply didn't do. Whimsy was one of them.<p>

So stopping the car so Relena could get out in the rain and go running through a field of wildflowers was completely beyond him. She was laughing and smiling and looking happier than he had seen her in ages, and in that respect it was nice, but it was also throwing their schedule completely off.

Standing under an umbrella next to the car, he watched her run towards a patch of purple, where she stooped to gather a handful. Content with her newly acquired bouquet, Relena meandered back to the car, stopping in front of Heero with a giant smile on her face. He raised his eyebrows at her in a silent question.

"I feel better."

"That's all well and good, but you're also soaked."

"I'll dry off."

He grunted before opening the door. She slid in to find a blanket and a couple of towels waiting for her. She smirked at him, apparently aware of the fact that he would make sure she wouldn't get sick. A bag with a change of clothes was also on the seat.

"Thank you for indulging me," she said when he resumed his position in the driver's seat.

He glanced in the rear view mirror just in time to see her take her shirt off. Cheeks coloring, he swiftly turned his attention back to the road. "It's fine." Whatever she wanted to do would be fine with him, even if he didn't understand it.


	42. Bucolic

****Once A Day  
><strong><strong>CharactersPairings: ********Heero, Relena; 1xR friendship********  
>Words: <strong>******155******  
>Author's<strong> **Notes: ******What can I say. I'm a sucker for a good friendship fic. Even when they're short.******  
><strong>****

**Bucolic - adjective: 1. Pastoral; rustic. 2. Of or relating to a herdsman or a shepherd. Noun: 1. A pastoral poem. 2. A farmer; shepherd.**

* * *

><p>"I could get used to this," Relena stated as she looked out the window of her room. She was saying in a castle that had been long since been converted to a hotel, and the room she was staying had a lovely view of the surrounding grounds. Located in the middle of nowhere as they were, plenty of farmland was visible.<p>

"Are you saying that you want to move to the middle of nowhere? Wouldn't that require you to quit your job?" Heero asked, looking up from document he was reading.

She wrinkled her nose. "Maybe after I retire. I think by then I will be thoroughly sick of people and will need the solitude."

"Good attitude," he murmured as he returned his focus to the paper in his hand.


	43. Cuckold

******Once A Day  
><strong><strong>CharactersPairings: **********Heero, Relena; 1xR friendship and hinted romance**********  
>Words: <strong>********353********  
>Author's<strong> **Notes: ********This one was fun. Oh Heero, you get so adorably uncomfortable in situations like this.********  
><strong>******

**Cuckold - Noun: A man whose wife is unfaithful. Verb tr.: To make a cuckold of a husband.**

* * *

><p>"Well hello, handsome," the leggy redhead purred in Heero's ear. His spine stiffened and he stared straight ahead, ignoring her.<p>

"Aw, come on now," she continued, sliding one hand along his shoulder to bury her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. "Don't spoil my fun."

"You're married," he finally grunted.

"And you're not. I figured someone who is wound as tight as you are might enjoy a little," she sucked in a breath, "fun."

"Forget it. I'm not interested," Heero muttered, shifting slightly in an attempt to get away from her.

"Mrs. Pelhan, so nice to see you," Relena greeted as she walked up to them. Mrs. Pelhan stepped away from Heero and attempted to smile at the Vice-foreign Minister.

"Vice-foreign Minister, please, call me Rebecca," she replied, a plastic smile plastered on her face. "What brings you to this little corner of the party?"

"Just collecting my bodyguard," Relena answered. "I have an early meeting tomorrow morning."

"Of course, of course. It was nice of you to come," Rebecca said politely.

"Thank you for the invite," Relena responded. "Shall we go, Heero?"

"As you wish," he answered, offering her his arm. He almost shouted with joy when she took it and leaned her head against his shoulder, but managed to keep his cool. He didn't have to turn around to see that Rebecca was silently seething, having lost her conquest of the night to the prudish Vice-foreign Minister of all people.

"Are you okay?" Relena asked as Heero guided them through the crowd.

"Ready to get out of here," he murmured.

"I'm sorry Rebecca got to you. It's the world's worst kept secret that she runs around on her husband. And while I'm not particularly fond of Pelhan, he's mostly good so I see no point allowing his wife to try and sleep with my bodyguard."

"You sound jealous."

"What!"

He smirked. "You don't have to worry, you know."

"Well isn't that comforting?" she chuckled as she rolled her eyes.


End file.
